


The Haught Doc

by kmvb



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:21:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22457890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kmvb/pseuds/kmvb
Summary: Nobody’s perfect when it comes to relationships. No one!Nicole smacked Dolls across the back of his head. “You were flirting with her while buying nipple pads?”But one woman may have all the dating advice you have been looking for.“My name is Nicole Haught, but you can call me Haught.”She can show you the moves. She can teach you the rules. But what happens when the woman with all the answers formulates some questions of her own?“No, no, no,” Nicole called as her vision blurred. “You think I am getting nervous because I’m trying to impress you and your sister. While I’m also trying to deal with my relationship issues… Not to mention my commitment issues”“No, Nicole," Waverly chuckled. "I think you are drunk.”The Haught Doc is the cure for all your first date jitters.
Relationships: Jeremy Chetri/Robin, Rosita Bustillos/Doc Holliday, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Xavier Dolls/Wynonna Earp
Comments: 185
Kudos: 326





	1. The First Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> Come join in on all the fun as I twist WayHaught into my all time favorite Rom Com, Hitch. 
> 
> I am hoping to stick with Tuesday/Wednesday updates, so look out for me! Hope you enjoy!

Her fingers drifted over the glossy book jacket in her grasp. Drawing several steps toward the armchair, she plopped into it, the worn cushions enveloping her in sweet comfort. Fingertips traced each letter on the canvas, from the title to the author. Her thumb shuffled through the pages; the delicate paper no longer capable of producing a laceration on her skin.

Reaching for the short light on the coffee table, she tugged on the short chain. Warm, LED glow permeated the blackened room. She folded her leg underneath and opened the front of the paperback. She blew on the dust accumulated in between the pages. The message on the dedication page stared back at her, calling and teasing her.

_To the Love of My Life. I never expected to meet you, and now I never wish for you to leave._

_The first basic principle: No person wakes up declaring, "God I hope I’m not swept off my feet today." They may state, "It is an awful time." Or, "I need space." Or my favorite: "I'm too into my career."_

_You believe that? Neither do they. You know why? Because they’re lying to you, that's why._

_You understand me? Lying. It's not a rotten time for them… They don't require any space… They may be into their career... but what they are claiming is, "Get away from me now." Or, "Work harder, stupid." Which one is it?_

_93% of all human communication is nonverbal. Body language. 4% is your tone. So that means that 97% of what you're saying... Isn’t slipping from your lips._

_They will lie to you, because they are nice or they don't want to injure your emotions._

_What else are they going to say? They don’t know you. Yet._

_The fact of the matter is, even a delicate woman or a dapper man may not know what they want until they locate it. And that's where I begin. My responsibility is to open their eyes._

_The second basic principle: No matter what, no matter when, no matter who... everyone has a chance to sweep any person off their feet. They just require the right broom._

_So how does it happen, immense love? I can’t reveal that, but what I can tell you is it happens in the blink of an eye. One minute, you're experiencing your life. And the next moment, you are wondering how you ever survived without them._

_Three dates are all I need. Three dates, and I will get you to the high-stakes medal round, where eighty percent of people believe the first kiss will tell them everything they need to know about the relationship._

_After that, you're on your own. Always remember, life is not the number of breaths you take, it's the moments which take your breath away._

Nicole checked the watch tied around her arm as she trudged through the dirt road and to the wooden fence. From her viewpoint, her eyes spotted a man adorned in a cowboy hat and leather boots leaning against the wood. That had to be him. Unbuttoning her blazer, she her hands into the pants pockets; a cell phone in one and a stack of business cards in the other.

“John Henry?” The redhead called as he turned, a smoke in his mouth and a smile on his face.

The middle-aged elder grabbed the hat from his head and held it closely. He reached forward with his hand, “Name’s John Henry, but call me Doc. And you must be the Hot Doctor.”

Nicole stepped closer and grasped his palm, the stench of nicotine and cigarette smoke squeezing her nostrils and her lungs. He returned the hat to his head. “Haught.”

“Look at the colt there?” He pointed to the field where a large black stallion grazed. “Every single mornin’ I come and feed the horses hay, and every morning he is stalking the ground, circling his lady friend.” He indicated to a second mare, a shorter, dark brown filly. “He’s confident and strong. And loud! Oh, so loud! The horse trots over to the young miss and he annoys her. Biting and kicking; he’s so rough, aggressive, and annoying, but he is bold, I will admit that.”

Nicole leaned over the railing and drove her sunglasses to the top of her head. “Are you making a metaphor of yourself?”

“No, ma’am,” Doc removed the hat and pointed past the barricade toward a small, tan horse with a gorgeous brown mane. “That’s me. He’s interested in the mare, but he’s too timid and shy to make an advance. So, each morning he runs here, hoping to make a move, but every time he gets intimidated by the stallion and backs away. But he loves her more than she could ever imagine.”

“Her name is Rosita Bustillos,” He set the hat atop sweaty, greasy hair. “She is the most magnificent woman. She’s like coming home after a long period of tending cattle with the sun on your tail and a glass of whiskey in your fist.”

“Do you have a picture, cowboy?”

“Yes, I do.” He tugged his cell phone out from his ripped jean pocket. Unlocking it, he found himself fumbling with the limited buttons. “Where in tarnation did she save it?”

“Probably in photos, there,” Nicole touched the small screen.

Doc blushed, clicked on the application, and her portrait appeared. “You must excuse me. These new-fangled cellular phones. There is my Rosita.”

“Wow,” She zoomed into on the woman’s face. “She is gorgeous.”

“That she is,” He snatched the phone and snuck it to the tight jean pocket. “She is like the sunrise on a warm summer morning, but I am a just ranch hand.”

“It doesn’t matter, Doc,” Confidence oozed from her pores. “I will clear the fog so she can see the real you.”

_You cannot use what you do not have. So, if you are shy, be shy. If you’re outgoing, be outgoing._

“Is that her?” The redhead asked as a young Latina woman tiptoed on the edge of the sidewalk.

“Oh yes, my Rosita,” He tugged the hat tighter.

“Stay here!” Nicole commanded.

“Haught! Haught, what are you doing?” He called, but to no avail.

She raced through the narrow alley way, her red hair flying in the wind. Once she passed the female, she straightened her mane and buttoned the blazer. Taking a deep breath, she headed in the opposite direction. With increased strides, she pummeled right into the Latina’s shoulder.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Compassion and sympathy glossed over the redhead’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

Her pupils locked with the modest ring of keys inches away.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Rosita smiled.

“Please forgive me, I was in a hurry and didn’t pay attention at where I was going.”

“No problem.”

“Thank you,” Nicole inconspicuously scooped up the keys. “Have a good day.”

The redhead threw the keys into the air like football on Superbowl Sunday. Doc hopped off the tar and snatched the key chain, like Jerry Rice in the end zone with three seconds left in the game. The redhead pointed at Rosita and mouthed for him to move.

As he darted toward the young woman, the set of metal jingled in his grip. “Excuse me, miss! I assume you dropped these.”

Rosita spun on her heel, slamming into the man. “Doc Holliday, as I live and breathe. How are you?”

“Good,” John responded, a sly smile slicking across his face. He took the hat off and glued it to his side. “Did you drop these?”

Doc held the keys up in the air and the other woman seized them.

“Thank you so much!” Rosita gushed. “I don’t know how I would have made it home tonight! How can I ever repay you?”

“It is nothing, ma’am,” the cowboy blushed. Embarrassed, his eyes zipped around the street. Pupils locked with Nicole’s as he felt the woman urging him along. “What would you say to accompanying me to the new exhibit opening at the Science Center tomorrow night?”

“I would love that. You have my number? Text me the details?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Nice to see you again, Doc,” Rosita turned with a slight wave and strolled away from the half-frozen cowboy. Once she was out of sight, Nicole yanked the man’s flannel sleeve and shoved him into the alleyway.

“Now was that hard?”

“It was terrifying!”

_So tonight, when you're wondering what to say, how you look, or if she likes you..._

_Just remember, she is out with you. She answered yes when she could have said no. She made a plan when she could have ditched you. So that means it is no longer your duty to make her like you. It is your job not to ruin it._

“I cannot do this, Haught!” Doc bellowed from the small bathroom. He untucked the white undershirt for the third time.

“Yes, you can. You can do this.”

“She is so out of my league!” He complained, slipping his arms into the cornflower plaid shirt.

“You look good,” Nicole complimented. “Terrific even! And those shoes are tight!”

“The loafers are nice, but I am not sure they are me.” Doc tied the black sneakers with the blue accents.

“You are a fluid concept right now, John,” Nicole reminded. “You bought the shoes, and you look fantastic in them. The entire outfit! How do you feel? Do they make you feel confident?”

“Okay, I guess. I can handle it, if I stop staring at my feet. They are so small when they aren’t in boots. What if she thinks my-”

“Nope, nope. Not having this conversation.” Nicole bellowed. “Holliday, you need to remember, she agreed to go out with you. She replied yes, Doc. She chose to be with you tonight.”

“Yeah, I guess,” he rolled a cigarette between his teeth.

“Recall, confidence equals preparation. Everything else is beyond your control.” She hoped to boost his own morale. Plucking the smoke from his mouth, she slid it back into the box. “And no smoking! Girls think it's disgusting!”

_The key on the first date is to give your them plenty of space. If they linger at a display, move on, but keep the visual. If it is clear, take a walk. Ask your date what they thought of the show, or what was their favorite photograph, and why that one?_

_And when they answer, don't be looking at their mouth. Do not be wondering what they look like naked; listen to everything they are saying. Everything! That way when they ask a question you have a better response than, "I like your mouth."_

“I had a wonderful time tonight, Doc, thank you!” Moonlight cascaded on their faces as with each step through the quiet street. “I always wanted to go, but never had the opportunity. So, this was perfect.”

"No problem, Rosita,” Fingertips thumbed the carton of cigarettes hidden in the tight jean pocket, his mouth watering for a blast of nicotine. “What was your favorite exhibit, ma’am?”

“I loved the engineering one. I had no idea a house had to be so sound to withstand an earthquake!” She gushed. “Both of our Lego homes wouldn’t have survived the smallest shock.”

“An earthquake?” Doc’s eyes wandered to her mouth. He chided himself and focused on the task at hand. “They wouldn’t have withstood the Big Bad Wolf huffing and puffing. He would have blown our houses to the ground!”

Rosita laughed, and Doc swore the heart inside his chest fluttered away in that instant. She shoved him in the shoulder. “What was your favorite exhibit?”

“The energy exhibit, for sure!” He responded. “Can you believe our state makes that much power? We use natural resources to create more than half of the energy we produce!”

“That was awesome!” Rosita blabbed as she quivered from the frigid temperatures. “I wish more states were that way!”

“Are you shivering?” Within a millisecond, the plaid shirt was torn off of his shoulders and passed over to the younger woman.

“No, Doc, I couldn’t.”

“Take it, I’ll be more than okay.” He winked. “I’m warm blooded.”

_And next thing you know, we are on date number two._


	2. The Second Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's meet some more of the gang!

The Second Chapter

“You were right, baby girl!” Wynonna shouted. She tossed the latest edition of the competitor’s magazine on their shared desk. 

Waverly’s pupils eagerly tore through the words on the front page. “Eight months!”

“They didn’t even make it a year!” Waverly complained. 

“And you predicted it, baby girl,” She sat on the younger girl’s desk. “You broke a story three weeks ago that Robin and Chrissy were on the rocks and now boom here they are! Front page of the most read magazine in America!”

“If only we got paid more money for our tabloids being true!” Waverly responded. “Any prospects for him? I would much rather be writing about his love life than about Kayne’s Big Foot sighting in Delaware!”

“I mean, you went to high school with the kid! Can’t you call him?”

“Oh yeah, Wynonna sure!” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll just be like ‘hey Robin, hooked up with anyone recently? I need it for a tabloid article so I can make money.’”

“I mean mention it’s helping pay for college, who knows, he might help.”

“Not happening, Wynonna.”

“Oh yeah, how was your vacation baby girl? And date number 67?”

“Sixty-seven?” Waverly shrieked. “I don’t even think I have met 67 men in my lifetime. And it was awful.”

“What happened?” She asked, concerned.

“First, he orders a freaking bottled water!”

“Oh, my god! Bottled water, how dare he!”

“Right!” Waverly agreed. “And the entire dinner he talked about how much he enjoyed hunting and murdering precious animals for sport. Have you heard that rabbit tastes like chicken? Nauseating.”

“What the hell, baby girl! Did you go out with a butcher?”

“He was an accountant, Wynonna! I thought it harmless!” Waverly huffed in incredulity.

“I think you need to get laid, baby girl. Loosen up a little! Then you won’t care if he has his ducks in a row if he’s knocking your socks off!”

“Wynonna, I’m not like you. I can’t do one-night stands.” She turned to her monitor, signaling a conclusion of the conversation.

“I mean it can be a two night-stand,” Wynonna worked her foot to spin her sister’s chair and face her again. “Or a whole week of one-night stands!”

“Wynonna…” Waverly scolded her sister. “Get back to work.”

“It’s coffee time now! I’ll be back in an hour!”

Waverly murmured, “How hasn’t she gotten fired yet?” 

“Where are you going, Wynonna?” The middle-aged blonde woman challenged as the eldest Earp literally crashed into her. She was straightlaced with a pinstripe suit and a dark red tank top. 

“Ah, to the loo,” Wynonna lied to the woman’s stoic face. “The washroom? Bathroom? Toilet? I need to potty.”

“Sit your ass down, I thought you said you getting coffee.” She commanded. Wynonna made a fake gagging noise and tumbled into the office chair beside her sister. “There are interns for that reason.”

“But if I don’t get coffee, Lucado, how am I going to see Kim Kardashian’s new boob job?”

“You aren’t even on celebrity gossip, Wynonna!” 

“I got it,” She huffed. “Monster and ghost sittings for me.”

“And you,” Jeannie Lucado shifted her focus from one Earp to the other. “How was your time off?”

“Great, relaxing,” Waverly said, preoccupied as she read the article about Robin’s most recent breakup.

“She went to Barbados,” Wynonna intercepted. “With the most gorgeous man candy I have ever seen in my life!”

“Really?” Lucado shifted on the desk and folded her legs. “Miss I’m a cynic and I will never find love again? I can’t wait for this one.”

Tapping her pencil on the corner of the counter, Waverly replied: “I stayed home and relaxed.” 

“Have you ever tried to relax?” Wynonna sarcastically questioned the taller woman.

“Ah, so you couldn’t find anyone to go with,” She assumed. 

“I could have gone by myself and relaxed at the beach,” Waverly retorted.

“Or gotten an actual boyfriend to go with you?” She snapped back, like an alligator ready for mealtime.

“Or girlfriend! Love is love, baby girl!” Wynonna interrupted yet again. “Sheesh, Lucado, what is your problem? Do you want to live vicariously through my sisters sex life?”

The older woman rolled her eyes, ignoring the comment. “Waverly, can you open your article from last week and read me the title and byline?”

“Robert Downey Jr. is no Iron Man: Downey, 46, was seen out with a much younger woman while his wife took care of their three children.”

“Perfect,” Lucado said. “And the week before that?”

“Ariana Grande Breaks up with Her Boyfriend; Actress turned superstar must have been bored.”

“And the week before that?”

“Robin Jett’s Girlfriend: Is She Pregnant with the Cook’s Child?”

“Do you notice the similarity between these stories?”

“Celebrities suck at relationships and are cheating on their partners?” Wynonna tried.

“More like Waverly looks for the most pessimistic celebrity gossip.” The boss emphasized to the authors. “Because of her obsessed with breakups, we missed releasing articles on both the birth of Kim Kardashian’s sixth child and Ed Sheeran’s wedding!”

“And? Doesn’t juicy gossip sell more?”

“We sold triple the magazines when we broke the news of the Prince William’s wedding!”

“But that was the Prince!” The taller brunette ejected. “The entire world wanted that news!”

“Waverly, go home!”

“Wait, you’re firing me?”

“You’re still on vacation!” Lucado roared. “And if I get fined because you worked too many days without a day off, I am going to take it out of your paycheck!”

Sitting at a dingy, dimly lit table at the back of the tiny coffee shop, Jeremy Chetri crossed and uncrossed his legs constantly. He twiddled with the square business card; the edges curved from nerves and sweat. With each swing of the bell hanging on the door, his eyes peered violently around the room as he expected the Hot Doc. Finally, a fearless redhead strode into the shop, her khaki blazer held together by a large button and a leather portfolio by her side. After taking one scan around the café, she nodded to the restless man and roamed to his side.

“Good morning, you must be Jeremy,” Nicole dropped her portfolio on the table so she could shake his wet palms. “Did you want a drink?”

“Nah,” Jeremy held his meager paper cup to her attention. “I’m okay.”

“Jeremy, how long have you been here?” She took off her jacket and draped it around the bench.

“A while?” He admitted, looking to his watch.

“I’m getting you another drink. What are you having?”

“Chai Latte,” Jeremy said shyly. Without another word she vanished, leaving the young man alone with his thoughts. He set his cell phone on the table and started slinging it around the table to control his nervousness. His phone chimed, reminding him Comic Con tickets were on sale in a few days.

“Here you go,” Nicole passed the piping hot cup. Putting the mug to his lips, Jeremy drew a hefty sip of boiling tea. The liquid seared his mouth, and it forced him to spit it out on the table.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Jeremy ran to the napkin dispenser as tea dribbled down his shirt and onto the tile floor. Nicole couldn’t help but grin at his social ineptitude. Oh, how she remembered that feeling.

“I am so sorry,” The napkins flew from his fists and on the counter, a few pirouetting on the floor.

“Hey, it happens,” Nicole responded, assisting with the mess. She scrunched the tea logged napkins and rooted them to the corner. 

“So, I hope she’s single, because I don’t do breakups.”

“What?” Jeremy slopped the final napkin on the heap. “Thank you for seeing me.”

“Answer the question Chetri,” Nicole commanded.

“Yeah, no…” He paused. “She’s… She’s a he. I hope that’s not a problem.”

“Is that a problem?” Nicole’s eyes lurched over the top of her cappuccino. “No, it’s the opposite.”

“I mean because if it is, I’ll just-” The young man fumed. “Wait, what?”

“Jeremy, you realized I’m gay right?”

“Uh, no?”

“You have a horrible gaydar.” She quipped. “Okay, let’s try this again, is he in a relationship?”

“No…” Jeremy said. “He recently got out of one.”

“Okay, we can handle that.”

“Are you sure? Because I’m uncomfortable with this, anyway. Maybe I should leave.”

“Jeremy,” Nicole lay a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down. It’s just you and I right now. Amigo to amiga.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s just, I have little experience.”

“With men?”

“I’ve only had sex one and a half times!” He blurted. 

Nicole chuckled and opened her portfolio to a blank sheet of paper. “That’s not a problem! Even if you had sex a million times. We got this. I can help him see you, the real you. We will knock his socks off.”

“You’re confident aren’t you.”

“I’m good at my job,” She smiled with a positive smirk. “Okay, what’s his name?”

“Robin Jett.”

“Holy shit,” The redhead stopped writing and stared at the young man. “You’re kidding. You understand he’s a millionaire, right?”

“I do,” Jeremy said, fidgeting with the bottom of his cup.

“Go big or go home, right Chetri?” Nicole laughed. “Do you know him?”

“Not totally,” Jeremy answered, his face becoming ghost white from embarrassment. “My company developed an app for his business.”

“Have you ever talked to him?”

“I loaned him a pen once.”

“A pen?” The redhead gnawed her lip to contain the chuckle threatening to evade her lips. “Could he pick you out of a lineup?”

“No?” Jeremy said as he fidgeted with his cell phone. “I’ve tried to talk myself out of this. I know it sounds stupid and that I’m not his type. But there’s something with him, you know? I can’t get him out of my head. And every time he’s close, I want is to talk to him, or even just to get him to look at me. I want to get to know him, not from the public’s eye, but actually know him. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to see him on these magazines every day? Do you know how hard it is to see the love of your life waking up beside the wrong person, but at the same time, you just want him to be happy, even if it isn’t with you?”

Nicole grinned. “You are out of your mind. And that’s perfect.” 

“Really?” He peered into her eyes.

“Jeremy,” Nicole spoke. “Did you read Harry Potter?”

“Yes,” He sipped what was remaining of his now room temperature drink.

“Well, Harry Potter,” Nicole set one hand over her own heart and the other on his shoulder. “Meet Albus Dumbledore.”

“Wait, you’re training me for the slaughter?” 

Nicole swayed her head. “No, I’m training you for greatness, Jeremy. Greatness.”

“When is Eliza due again?” The redhead chalked up her overused pool stick. She stared as he lined the cue ball and made his shot. The stripped ball fell into the corner pocket.

“Soon,” Xavier Dolls responded. He lingered beside the table, lining up again for another. “Not soon enough.”

“Are you excited?” Nicole observed him miss a second ball.

“Excited I there won’t be any more cravings, hormones, late night foot rubs,” Dolls gulped a swig of his drink. 

“She’s lucky to have you,” Nicole said as the white ball bounced off the edge and tipped the solid ball into the pocket. She watched her friend’s line of vision, her eyes settling upon two alluring young women sitting at the bar.

“Do you want me to get them?” A grin tugged on the corner of her mouth.

“No, no,” Dolls distractedly set up and took another shot, though it wasn’t his turn.

“Why?” She queried, discounting his failed move at the pool table. “Because you can’t go home with them?”

“Look,” He began. “Between work and Eliza, I’m just trying to keep my head above water.”

“I will go get those girls,” She arranged her pool stick on the rack, “And we will have a conversation, like normal people. Friends even.”

Dolls crisscrossed his arms in irritation.

“And then,” the redhead continued, “I will take them back to my place.”

Without wasting a second for Dolls to argue, Nicole skipped away. As she raced through the hoards of bodies, she plucked a twenty-dollar bill from her wallet. 

“Hey cutie, can I get two Corona’s at the pool table, please?” Nicole reached through the modest crowd to hand her cash to the young woman.

“Excuse me,” She retorted, dumbfounded.

“Lime wedges is more than okay,” Nicole maintained.

“Hey asshole,” The woman wailed as the group of friends around her scrambled. “I don’t work here.”

“Oh god, you’re kidding.” Nicole wrapped her arms around her chest in embarrassment. “I am so sorry. Are you first aid certified because someone will have to surgically removed my foot from my mouth?”

The woman rolled her eyes. She heaved and stood from her seat. “Don’t let it happen again.”

Nicole settled her hand on the woman’s arm. “I knew you didn’t work here.”

“What?” She asked, perplexed. “You did?”

“Of course,” Nicole bit her lip, a look of timidity dart across her face momentarily. “How else was I supposed to get you away from those guys?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Send me a comment or a kudo to let me know if you are enjoying this one!


	3. The Third Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love to make fun of accounting. Full disclaimer, I am an accountant =)

The Third Chapter

_Some people naturally develop a comfort with their preferred sex. They like women, women like them. Everything flows naturally. That was not me._

Nicole strolled through the student commons, her dark black glasses sliding down her nose as her eyes traced her footsteps on the just waxed floor. She tugged on her backpack strap, shoving it flush to her frame. She dodged the groups of college students, anxious and excited for their first day of classes.

“Excuse me,” A voice interrupted her stride. She turned toward the sound, slamming into the woman only inches away.

“Sorry, sorry,” Nicole apologized, clutching the other girl’s shoulder to stop her from falling. She held out her free sweaty palm. “Nicole.”

“Shae,” She grasped her hand with power. “Can you tell me where registration is? They enrolled me in an Accounting class, and I’m a science major. No way I will take that shit.”

Nicole chuckled, a grin flashing across her face. “Yeah, absolutely. It’s- Actually, I’m headed over there, do you mind if I show you?”

“No, no, I couldn’t impose.”

“I insist,” Nicole pleaded. “I’m heading back to my dorm and registration is the next building. Let’s go.”

_My life would never be the same._

“Hey baby, I am so glad I got ahold of you,” The redhead exasperated as Shae answered the phone. “I missed you so much!”

“I got that from the seven phone calls and nineteen text messages.” Shae sighed in frustration.

“I know, I know,” Nicole pleaded. “I just missed you so much. And it worried me.”

“Babe,” She cried out. “You have my schedule; I was in class.”

“It scared me when you didn’t answer! I thought something happened to you.”

“I have a class every Monday, Nic. Because I am trying to get my doctorate; I cannot be answering the phone every time you call.”

“I know,” The redhead replied yet again. “I just, I love you so much! And I know you don’t love me as much as I love you, but that’s okay. We will get there. We are great together, don’t you agree?”

_In retrospect, I guess I may have come on too strong. But the experience taught me a lot._

Nicole dragged her body up the four flights of stairs to their shared apartment. Exhausted after a long week of training at the police academy and twenty-two days of sleeping on a hard cot, she was excited to snuggle in her own bed with her beautiful girl. If she wasn’t too busy studying.

Holding her jingling keys as quiet as possible, she opened the door slowly in hopes not to disturb Shae. She dropped her large duffle bag on the couch, and as quiet as a mouse, she shuffled into the darkened bedroom. She gripped her shirt and flung it off and into the corner of the room. As she stepped closer to the bed, moonlight illuminated the comfy, quiet, yet crowded bed. She wiped her eyes and shook her head in panic, desperate to free her mind of her insecurities. But the two figures didn’t disappear.

“Shae, what are you doing?” Her voice squeaking with a blend of rage and anxiety.

“Nicole,” Shae startled awake and held the sheet to the top of her chest. “What are you doing home?”

“What am I doing home?” Nicole bellowed. “What are you doing with this bitch in our bed?”

“Nicole,” Shae stood and reached for her nightshirt on the floor beside her. “Relax. Just breathe.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” The redhead yelled. “While I’m at work, you bring this bitch home and let her sleep in our bed?”

“Nicole, I can explain!”

“You can explain?” She yelled. “What, you tripped, fell, landed on her clit?”

“Nic, stop,” Shae chased after her, but the redhead stayed one step away, desperate to dissuade her touch.

“You don’t get to call me that, Shae.” Nicole shouted, tears flowing across her cheeks. “How many times did you tell me you loved me? That I was enough for you? That it we would always be together? Whenever I brought it up, you always said I was good enough for you. But what now Shae? If I was good enough for you, you wouldn’t have resorted to this slut. It was a lie! We were a lie!”

“Nicole!”

“You think I’m ugly, don’t you?”

“Nicole, calm down.”

“No, I want you out of my apartment in an hour or I will have the police escort you out.”

“Nicole, I have nowhere to go.”

The redhead flung the front door open and stepped into the hallway. “That’s your problem, not mine.”

_And it's this education I must pass on to my fellow romantics. The ones who think they will never find someone to love them in return. Because they will, they just need my touch._

Nicole picked up a cardboard tray with two hot drinks from the counter as she dashed to the door. She hesitated, her fingers twitching at the cool metal doorknob, bracing herself from the cool springtime air.

She woke an hour ago when her phone rang obnoxiously on her bedside table. It was Jeremy, frantic with nerves, anxiety, and worry. He received an email to the entire company explaining that Robin would arrive on site in a few hours. After talking the man down, Nicole promised to visit him in a few hours and she hoped a cup of tea might calm his nerves. The more she thought about it, though, the more she worried it would skyrocket his anxiety.

Nicole’s warm fingers wrapped around the icy handle of the shop’s door. She held the door open for a short brunette who bustled inside and away from Toronto’s nippy springtime air.

“Thank you,” Waverly said with a smile that could capture joy from even the most irritable individual. Nicole’s eyes twitched around the room, wondering if everyone else saw the dim cafe suddenly transform into a brightly illuminated oasis. The redhead chased the woman back inside, as if her body was a train and she could not distance herself from the track. As the other woman stepped in line, Nicole bit her lip. Blood dribbled down her chin, forcing the fog in her mind to clear. In line with her better judgement, she switched tracks at the brunette’s junction. To be less awkward, the redhead grabbed a pile of napkins from beside the woman and slapped them on the tray in her hands. She set her sights on the door yet again, but she bypassed the line and handing a twenty-dollar bill to the cashier.

“Please use this for whatever that young woman wants.” Without waiting for a reply, Nicole bustled out of the small café, grateful for the crisp morning air.

“Nicole,” She lectured herself as she scrambled away from the joint, locking her vision to the white rubber of her converse shoes. She wanted to take one final glance at the exquisite woman, but she could not allow herself the luxury. She was not a runny over easy breakfast entrée; instead, she was a solid omelet, well put together and strong. “What the hell is wrong with you? You don’t fail at the sight of a vivacious young woman! That’s when you thrive the most!”

The redhead reprimanded herself as she walked from the coffee shop to the entryway of the glass technology building. She took a deep breath, rebuilding her confidence like a child snapping together Lego after Lego.

“Jeremy!” Nicole hollered as the man exited the glass elevator. Anxiety and nervousness broadcasted off him, and it forced her to switch her simulcast fears off air. There was a task at hand and ensuring Jeremy didn’t make a fool of himself in front of Robin was her prime-time program.

“How much time do we have?” She followed him into the elevator, his sweaty hands turning white as he gripped the rail.

“An hour, give or take,” He replied, his eyes locked on the illuminated floor numbers. When the elevator dinged for the fifth time, the door opened, and he stepped into the hallway.

Nicole followed him down a small, sterile hallway. Jeremy led them both inside the medium-sized corner office.

“Holy shit, you have an office?” As she stepped inside, she gravitated toward a Star Trek Lego set on his windowsill. “Nice digs.”

“Thanks,” He mumbled. “Welcome to my home away from home. I spend way too much time here. I don’t know how anyone would ever want to date a workaholic like me.”

“Hey now,” Nicole took a seat opposing him. "I do not allow you speak or think any negative thoughts. You are stronger than you think; I see it in you.”

“Easier said than done.” Jeremy grabbed a pen and began twiddling it in his fingers.

“Okay, do you have a plan for today?” She folded her hands on the gleaming mahogany desk.

“A plan?” Jeremy asked, startled. “I don’t want to sweat so much he can see stains through my blazer.”

“Well, that’s a good start…” She chuckled. “Okay, when I asked you if you had a plan, how did you feel?”

Jeremy shuffled the pen to his other hand. “Shocked that you asked me that.”

“And that’s the secret to making Robin notice you. Shock and awe.” She watched as the information settled into his mind.

“So you want me to scream in the middle of our meeting?”

“Well, that’s shocking, but not awing.” Nicole said. “You want to say something that gets his attention. Something smart, something helpful.”

“Can I, though? My brain just turns to mush whenever I see him.”

“That’s normal, Jeremy. You aren’t alone. Let’s make a plan to build your confidence.” Nicole shifted in her seat to make herself more comfortable. “What is the meeting regarding?”

“He wants to hire our firm to help him develop his newest app.”

“Perfect,” Nicole said. “So, I want you to listen to everything he tells you about the app. Pay special attention to what he says. And when he asks for advice, give him real advice. Don’t just butter him up and tell him whatever he says sounds awesome. Give him real advice. Be honest, even if it’s not what he wants to hear. He will appreciate that.”

_My business is 100% referral and, thus far, untraceable. And if there’s one man I’ve tried desperately to refer to my business, it was Xavier Dolls. It’s not that he doesn’t have confidence, swagger, or even a way with the ladies; it’s that he always meets the perfect women at the wrong place or the wrong time._

Xavier Dolls pushed the plastic red shopping cart around the corner, entering the formula and breast feeding aisle. Inside his cart lay three packages of newborn diapers and several receiving blankets. With each passing day, he stopped at the store more often, worried there would be something important he forgot. The birth of the baby was quickly approaching.

His eyes blazed through each product on the shelves, checking off an imaginary checklist in his head. As he stepped closer to the breastfeeding machines, his eyes fell on a product he had yet to buy; nipple pads.

He grabbed the object and flipped around the box. He became distracted when he heard a young woman curse at the tip of the aisle.

“Hey, are you okay?” He abandoned his cart and raced toward the leather jacketed woman.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she replied nonchalantly. “Just stubbed my toe on the fucking aisle. They should put them in a better spot before they get sued.”

Xavier flashed his pearly whites. “You mean, not parallel with the other aisles?”

“Shut up, asshole,” The brunette said with a slight snort, shoving his shoulder. He did not realize one person’s tone be so tender yet condescending at the same time.

As the discussion drew to an end, Dolls grasped for any topic. Awkwardly, he shoved up the small box of nipple pads from within his cart. “How do you use these?”

“Figures.” She rolled her eyes in irritation, ignoring his question. As if she was being chased by the cops, she rushed from the young man, not daring to glance back.

_One last time, what is the objective? Shock and awe. What is the objective? Shock and awe. What is the objective?_

“Mr. Chetri,” A masculine voice hailed, yanking the young man away from his daydream. He peered over his shoulder, astonished as he realized that it was none other than Robin Jett standing beside him. “Everything okay?”

“Ye-yeah,” He squeaked, gesturing Robin into the conference room.

“Thank you, sir,” Robin squeezed Jeremy’s shoulder.

As the young associate scurried inside, he hoped no one saw he was the last to arrive. He sank in his executive chair, his head retreating behind the tall chair’s back. He buttoned his blazer, eager to make himself appear more confident. Instead, it made him less comfortable.

“Good morning, everyone,” Robin assembled at the front of the long, polished table. He tore a small portfolio from his bag and set it in front of him. “Thank you for meeting me at such short notice.”

“Absolutely, Mr. Jett.” The aging man from across the opposite edge spoke, his voice stern and intimidating voice. Jeremy fiddled with the pen in between his fingers. “What can I help you with, sir?”

“Okay, so,” Robin took a long drink of ice water. “What I would like… I mean what I was wondering…”

“Out with it boy, we don’t have all day.”

“Sorry, sir,” Robin said. He took a deep breath and glanced at his notes. “So, according to the college board, the price of tuition and fees have raised over 200% since the early 1990s. Two Hundred percent! I attended a small college in the Midwest because it was the only one I could afford. And that was over five years ago! Now, students, or their parents, are being asked to shell out ten thousand dollars just for a state college. A state college, aren’t those supposed to be the cheap ones?”

The elderly man tapped with frustration on his expensive smart watch. “Spit it out, Jett, we do not have all day to sit here and wait for you.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Robin felt his growing confidence smacked to the ground. “I want to create an app high school students can use on their mobile phones to apply for scholarships. I was hoping we could use this app as a database to help students find, and apply for scholarships, grants, and even work studies.”

“Do you have a business plan, Jett?”

“Uh, no sir,” He bit his lip.

“And how do you expect this app to make money, Robin?”

“The same way our other apps make money, sir,” He said. “Advertisements.”

“I’m sorry, Jett, but we cannot take you seriously until you have a full business plan. Then, just then, we might help you with your app development. Are there questions?”

“No, sir,” Robin said, looking at the diligent handwriting on his notebook. One by one the group of men closed their notebooks and shuffled from the table.

“Excuse me,” Jeremy appealed, his voice cracking with anxiety.

The executive paused for a split second before turning to his employee. “Did you say something?”

“Yeah,” Jeremy crossed his legs underneath the table. “I don’t agree with your decision.”

“Excuse me? Who even are you?”

“Jeremy Chetri, sir, Senior App Developer.”

“Oh?” He stumbled back to the table but refused to sit. “Do you have something to say, son?”

Gulping, Jeremy replied, “I think if Robin wants an app developed, we should help him.”

“Jeremy, we don’t do this for free,” His fingers balled into fists.

“Yes, and Robin’s last two apps have brought us from the Forbes 500 list to the Forbes 100 list. Based on experience, we should sign off on a contract with Mr. Jett before even seeing a business plan. What happens if he turns to a company in Silicon Valley for this app, and then the next, then the next? Where will our company stand then? Bankrupt.”

The elderly man crossed his arms in resentment. “We need money to start the app, Chetri.”

“Robin can give a deposit as a foundation for us to to work on the app, with a promise to pay for all the work completed and distribute royalties when profits begin. I’m sure we will make up our money in no time, and even if it doesn’t make as large of a profit as his other apps, this will at least give him goodwill to come to our company next time he needs an app.”

“You sound confident in this, Chetri,” He tugged his rough fingers through his tough white beard. “You will be the one to lead this project. If it fails, you will be the one who takes the blame.”

Without another breath, the executive stalked out of the conference room, his group of minions following behind. He pushed his office chair away from the table, his sweaty palms left wet stains on the clear glass conference table. Before Robin had a chance to utter a word, Jeremy streaked from the room.Racing to his office, Jeremy snatched his asthma inhaler from his pocket, puffing the medication to combat his shallow breath. He crashed through the office door and slammed it shut, hiding from the world.

“How did it go?” Nicole hopped from her seat on the window’s ledge and stepped toward the shaking man. Jeremy didn’t respond, but he took another huff of his inhaler.

“It was that bad?”

“I almost quit my job,” Jeremy slapped his inhaler on the desk. “The President wasn’t even listening to a word Robin was saying. So, I put him in his place.”

“Okay,” Nicole said. “I’m sure that caused Robin to take notice.”

“Take notice?” Jeremy wailed. “He saw my first write up in my entire career. I should go apologize.”

Nicole galloped to the exit, barring him from departing. “Let’s wait and see where the chips fall.”

“I will lose my job!”

“Your boss might be proud you stood up for yourself.”

He reached past the woman and grasped on the handle. “I doubt it.”

Nicole set her palms on his shoulders and shoved him away. “No.”

“What am I a dog?”

A loud beat on the hollow door caused the office’s occupants to freeze. Nicole calmed her breathing, as if the person behind the door would hear her.

“Jeremy, are you in there? It’s Robin!” The young man thumped again.

“It’s him!” Jeremy yelped as Nicole released him from her clutches. “What do I do?”

“Uh, open the door!” She advised. He took one last glimpse at his confidant, took a deep breath, then tiptoed forward. He opened the door, revealing a tall, well-dressed man leaning against the frame.

“How can I…” He started, his voice several octaves higher than normal. “What can I help you with, Robin?”

“No one ever stands up for me the way you did.” Robin scratched an imaginary itch behind his ear. “And I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate it. You most likely angered your boss, but getting this app developed is so important to me. It is more important than everything else in my life.”

A nervous smile cracked through the foundation of Jeremy’s petrified features. “Yeah?”

“Are you available this weekend to get together about the app? I was hoping we could discuss what I’m looking for and brainstorm ideas?”

Jeremy glanced to where Nicole hide from view. A grin tugged on her cheeks as she nodded her head ferociously.

“If you need to check your schedule, I can wait.” Robin tried.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jeremy squeaked. “Let me check.”

Before he comprehended what was happening, Jeremy slammed the door on Robin’s face.

“What do I do? What do I say?” He asked as the other woman.  
Nicole bellowed: “Why did you slam the door on his face? Your schedule should be on your phone!”

“Yeah, yeah it is,” He said.

“So?”

“So what?”

“Don’t leave the man hanging! Are you free?”

“Of course, I am! I don’t need to look at my schedule! I might miss a few rounds of Fortnite but I should be okay!”

“Well, tell him! Tell Robin!”

Jeremy drew another deep breath then opened the door.

“Yeah, yeah,” He leaned against the opposite side of the door frame and crossed his leg, trying to act cool and confident. “I’m free.”

“Perfect,” Robin responded. He passed his phone to Jeremy, a contact started with his name and office number. “Can you add your number?”

Jeremy seized the phone, his fingers brushing the other man’s in the transfer. As he typed his number into the device, he battled against his unsteady fingertips before handing the cell back.

“Thanks, Jer!” He replied, a smile flashing across his lips. “I’ll text you with the details! See you this weekend! Thanks again!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave comments below if you are enjoying this fresh take on a rom-com.


	4. The Fourth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you are finding this story funny (or if it at least makes you smile!)

The Fourth Chapter

Wynonna twirled the key ring around her finger like a Jewish boy with a dreidel on Hanukkah. She strode into the darkened storefront, her nostrils inflamed with the heavy stench of perfume wafting through the building. Horny men lined the aisles, desperate to catch an eye full from the women trying on items in the dressing room.

“Excuse me,” Fabric measuring tape hung around the store associate’s neck like a fashionable scarf. “Can I help you find anything?”  
“No,” Wynonna attempted to bustle past the worker, but that did not stop her lecture.

“Has anyone told you about our sale today? Five pairs of panties for thirty-seven dollars.”

“Thanks,” Wynonna responded, curse words curling on the tip of her tongue. All she wanted was a new bra! Could they make it any more embarrassing?

Without swaying her eyes from her direct line of sight, she made a beeline toward the racks in the back of the store, her pupils locked on a vibrant, cushioned bra. 

“If you need someone to model for, I’m your guy.”

A sigh escaped Wynonna’s mouth, but she did not dare look at his nasily voice. Her fingers ran through the materials, determined to find the correct size. 

“I’m not joking,” He tried yet again to elicit a response. 

“I know you aren’t, and that’s what’s so pathetic.” Wynonna snatched the bra from the rack. “And what brings you to Victoria Secret, Mr. Nine Seconds? Shopping for your mother?”

“Uh…” He scratched his neck. “You know it. The name’s Champ, Champ Hardy.”

“Champ? Are you kidding? Your parents should have named you cramp.”

“Hey Shorty,” Nicole slumped onto the stool and made herself comfortable at the bar. “How’s your day been?”

“Quiet, believe it or not.” He swiped the bar with a fluffy white towel. “Can I get you the usual?”

“Sure Shorty, thanks,” Within a second thought, he cracked open a bottle of beer with the hem of his shirt and slid it across the shiny counter. As Nicole’s eyes fell upon a gorgeous brunette, the sticky liquid dribbling across her chin and puddling onto her shirt. Ashes of the horrid early morning inferno infiltrated her mind.

“Shorty,” She spoke as the beer soaked through to her chest. “Do you know who that is?”

“That right there?” Shorty gestured to the young woman sitting at the high-top table. “That is my niece, Waverly Earp.”

“Waverly,” Nicole repeated, her eyes never escaping the other woman. Shorty choked, tugging the redhead away from the distraction. “What’s she drinking tonight?”

“Most of the time, she’s just a beer girl,” He folded the white cloth and perched it upon the counter. “Today though, she’s drinking whiskey on the rocks.”

“Straight whiskey? Must have been a tough day.” Nicole expressed. “Would you be able to add two of those two my tab?”

With a brief nod, Shorty snagged two glasses and poured the other woman’s favorite brand into them. He wiped the cups and handed them over to the redhead.

“Be careful,” He warned. “She’s been heartbroken. Given up on love.”

“Well then, that’s something we both can agree on,” Nicole admitted. She downed the rest of her beer before grabbing the two glasses. 

The redhead swaggered through the family-owned bar with a confidence she lacked earlier. As she stepped closer to the high-top tables, an inexperienced man plopped beside Waverly. Nicole took a deep breath, not letting the interruption destroy her morale. Instead, she parked near the pool table, close enough to hear the conversation, but far enough so she did not look like a stalker.

“I spotted your drink was getting low,” The short-haired man gestured toward her half empty glass, then the full one in his hand. “So, I brought you another. Grey Goose Martini.”

“Uh,” Waverly glared at the drink as if it was her boss, Lucado. “Thanks-”

“You can just call me your next boyfriend.”

Nicole rolled her eyes. She planted the pool balls one by one in the triangle rack, attempting to look distracted. 

“Look, that’s nice but-” Waverly tried.

“Pete, Pete Yorke,” He held his hand out and waited for a handshake, but the shorter woman declined without a second thought.

“Pete, thanks for the drink.” She attempted yet again. “And I know it takes courage to talk to a woman, but I must decline your offer. I’m not interested-”

“You really are beautiful, you know.”

“Pete, are you even listening?” She chugged the remained of her whiskey. “I don’t mean to offend you, but I’m just not interested. In anyone for that-”

“Do you like to eat Mexican food?”

“Pete, no,” Anger was bubbling inside her from his carelessness. “I appreciate you giving me the compliment, but I’m not looking for a relationship.”

“Are you always this closed off ? Are you afraid someone might rock your world? Baby, I can show you how good it feels to have your world rocked.”

“Hey cutie,” Nicole walked placed a kiss on Waverly’s forehead without consent, as if she had been doing it for years. The brunette’s hazel eyes captivated her, and she found she couldn’t look away. This was an awful idea. A terrible idea. As her voice quivering with nervousness, she continued: “Sorry I’m late. My meeting ran late. How was your day?”

Waverly smiled as frustration flew across Pete’s face. “Long, tiring, and rough enough where I needed a whiskey to numb the pain.”

Nicole clenched her eyes shut for a quick second, then glanced over at their intruder. “Can I help you?”

“Nice to meet you, Pete,” Waverly closed. The man stood from the table, shoving the seat into the table with an impeccable force. Shoulders slumped in disappointment, he raced away from the table, never to look back.

“I mean,” Nicole slid into the still warm seat. She took a long breath, trying to curb her insecurities. “It’s really is hard for someone to introduce themselves to a beautiful woman such-”

“Look-”

“But should that be your problem?” Nicole continued. “I mean you’ve made it clarified that you aren’t interested in the slightest. Your hair is pulled back, your glasses are sliding to the tip of your nose, and you’re drinking a hard whiskey. Which either means one of two things; you’ve had a rough day, or you just want people to leave you the fuck alone.”

“You’re right on that one.” Waverly agreed as Nicole passed her a refill of her drink. “Life is hard for everyone.”

“Something happened when you were younger. Something traumatized you, and now you believe a woman like me would never sit down with a woman like you,” Nicole gestured to the bar, “And care about you and your day.”

“Right again,” Waverly said. “Have you seen the actors in this place; they pretend to care so they can get in my pants. Which never works, I might add. I don’t even remember what a genuine person looks like.”

Nicole gestured to herself. “I think it looks like me!”

“If you didn’t have a hidden agenda, what would you say?”

“I would say,” Nicole clutched the other woman’s hand and held like it was a precious, gentle yet expensive piece of jewelry. “My name is Nicole Haught, and I’m a life coach.”

“Nicole Haught?” Waverly said. “And that’s genuine?”

“As real as my birth certificate from Mercy Hospital.” The redhead admitted. “Now, are you sitting here, counting the seconds until I leave, like you do for every other horny guy you’ve met?”

“I mean, maybe,” She said. “You aren’t real. It’s an act, a script. That is all it always is. You, Nicole Haught, do not differ from every other person in the universe. They all have a hidden agenda, I just haven’t been able to figure yours yet.”

“Or maybe I don’t have one,” The redhead scrunched her pupils shut as burning alcohol tore through her throat. “What if I really want to learn everything about you? Could you ever imagine that I might actualy be interested in your work and what you do for fun?”

“And if you were like every other man, I would send my sister a text to call me, so I can bust out of here before you took your next breath.”

“But if you believed I was interested, what would you say?”

Waverly hesitated. “My name is Waverly Earp, and I’m a writer for a magazine.”

“Wow, a writer? That’s amazing!”

“And now you will ask me agonizing questions, pretending like you care about my life, when-”

“No,” Nicole said. “Hell no.”

“No?” 

“No, I would care about every word that slipped from your mouth.” The redhead admitted. “I could stand up this instant and pretend this entire conversation never happened. We would both get along with our lives perfectly, no harm, no foul.”

“Perfectly,” Waverly agreed. 

“But would we want that?” Nicole sipped the last bit of whiskey from her glass and stood from the table. She seized the other woman’s soft, warm hand and held it with her own yet again. “It’s nice to meet you, Waverly Earp.”

Nicole strolled toward the door, giving Shorty a nod. Within seconds, the older man dropped yet another drink onto his niece’s table.

“Whiskey,” He explained, setting it down on the table with ease. “From the woman who just left.” 

“Pizza Delivery!” Nicole bellowed, sauntering into the apartment as if it was her own. A very pregnant Eliza lay on the couch with her feet dangling over its arm. Nicole settled the boxes on the kitchen island, surprised the other woman had yet to wake.

“With snores like that, it’s a wonder your baby can sleep at night,” Nicole raised her voice to wake up the blonde woman. 

“Ha, ha, ha, Nicole,” Eliza said, her sarcastic voice laced with grogginess. “Where’s Xavier?”

“On his way home,” She returned to the kitchen and grabbed several paper plates for dinner. “You okay with eating in the living room?”

“Heck yes!” Eliza followed the other woman. “I love eating with my feet up on the coffee table!”

“Not much longer now, right?” She freed the pizza, the aroma drifting through the room. 

“Cheese?” The blonde whined. “What happened to my anchovies?”

“I don’t think you can eat seafood,” Nicole reminded her.

“You a mini-Dolls,” She grunted. “You both always make me follow the rules.”

“Eliza…” The older man stepped into the kitchen, his white button up still tucked in from his long day at work. “Are you giving Nicole a hard time?”

“I mean, yes?” She snatched the slice of cheese and shoved the tip into her mouth. “She is my brother’s best friend; would you expect any different?”

Xavier unbuttoned his dress shirt, revealing his white tank top and bulging muscles. “I guess not. I need to change before eating. Thanks for bringing over dinner, Nic.”

“No problem,” She snatched a piece of pizza and dropped it onto her own plate.

“And Eliza, stop harassing her,” He commanded.

“I don’t know why he expects any different,” Eliza chuckled. “It’s not like we just met.”

The redhead followed the waddling woman into the television illuminated living room. Eliza flung herself on the couch and kicked her swollen feet on the coffee table. Nicole made herself comfortable on the opposing armchair.

“Nicole, can you do me a favor?”

“Yeah, sure,” She perched up on the chair and focused her attention on the other woman. “What’s up?”

“ I am glad you took Dolls to the bar and it said he had fun, but he needs to leave the house more often. I feel so guilty he is spending so much time with me.”

“He’s trying to take care of you,” Nicole declared.

“Yeah, but staying at his place is a temporary placement for me, you know?” Eliza reminded her. “And I don’t want him to be lonely when I leave.”

“He’s always been a lone wolf, you know. He will be okay.”

“But I don’t want him to be alone anymore,” She said, “And I don’t want him to miss out because his foster sister is pregnant.”

“I don’t think he sees it as missing out,” Nicole said. “He wants to be here; he wants to take care of you.”

“And I’ll have you know,” Dolls stomped down the flight of stairs and interjected; “I met the most gorgeous woman today.”

Nicole’s eyes lit up in excitement as she imagined coaching Dolls on his love life. “Where did you meet her?”

“The store,” He responded, shuffling into the kitchen.

“Watch this,” Eliza whispered to Nicole. “What were you buying?”

“I checked that we had what we need for your precious cargo.”

The blonde scoffed. “How many times have you visited the store for that exact reason?”

“Don’t you want to be prepared?” Dolls asked.

The redhead tried to reign the conversation back to the true matter at hand. “Did you get her number?”

“No,” Dolls replied. He took a seat on the couch beside Eliza, folding his leg underneath him.

“Well, I’m sure we can find her,” Nicole said with her natural confidence and positivity. “What was her name?”

“No idea,” He muttered as he shoved a slice of pizza in his mouth.

“You didn’t even get her name?” Eliza scoffed. “How is that even possible? Your best friend, your wing woman, is a Dating Specialist, and you didn’t even think to get a hot woman’s name? Unbelievable!”


	5. The Fifth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably could have made this chapter a little longer...

The Fifth Chapter

Nicole drew a deep breath as she treaded through the hallway, rows of empty cubicles staring at her, tormenting her. Hot coffee burned her fingertips; she crunched on her bottom lip, hoping to distract herself from the pain. Puttering at the entrance, anxiety bubbled within her like a steaming, boiling tea pot. People pay her to do this. If she couldn’t ask out the object of her affection herself, how much of a hypocrite would that make her?

“I hate it when a girl creepily calls another girl, even though she didn’t give her a cell number.”

Waverly bolted, the sudden noise contrasting against the pounding of her sister’s keyboard. The redhead strode to the stranger in the room, holding out her hand in greeting, “Nicole Haught.”

“Holy shit, what an awesome last name!” Wynonna blurted.

“Yeah, that’s not what people said in High School,” She chuckled.

“I am lonely Waverly’s older sister, Wynonna.”

“Wynonna, I am not lonely!” 

Nicole chuckled as her eyes pinged from one woman to the other, as if she was watching a tennis match.

“I am sure this is creepier than calling someone whose number you didn’t get, Haught Pepper,” Wynonna retorted. “This is much more stalker-ish.”

“But I’m not calling,” Nicole replied. “And that’s what matters. So, Waverly,”

“So, Nicole.”

“Do you mind taking that flashing neon sign off your forehead for the night and go out to dinner with me tomorrow?”

Waverly’s face paled as her brain comprehended Nicole’s invitation She peered at her sister, attempting to judge her reaction.

“Uh, sorry, I can’t.” Waverly’s fingertips taped on her desk and her pupils flickered around the office. “I have a few work events I have to attend.”

“Are you free Saturday?” The redhead tried again.

Waverly picked at her nails in her uneasiness. “I uh... I have a date.”

If Wynonna’s eyes could kill, Waverly would be dead. She was infuriating!

Nicole tittered. “Okay, so you are busy on Saturday, too. Do you know the definition of persistence, Ms. Earp?”

“An excuse for you to be annoying?”

A smile illuminated Nicole’s face. “Continuing a course of action, even in the face of opposition, obstacles or discouragement.”

“Okay, Dictionary.com,” Waverly sighed. “How do I get rid of you?”

“Get rid of me? I’m offended!” Nicole pretended to be ashamed. “Breakfast, Sunday morning. Is that even considered a date? You have breakfast with people you want in and out of your hair before afternoon.”

“Come on, Wave,” Wynonna encouraged in her office chair. As she watched the interaction, she gnawed a hole into her pen cap in frustration. 

“Okay, fine,” Waverly exhaled. “We can meet for breakfast on Sunday.”

Nicole’s smile tuned Waverly’s heartstrings, and in an instant she returned the expression. “Meet me at 8:00 a.m. at Sylvester’s for breakfast.”

“No, no, no,” Waverly replied. “I don’t do eight on the weekends. That’s too early.”

“The later we make the date, the longer you will be stuck with me.” Nicole smiled with a devilish grin. “I’ll see you at 8.”

The redhead spun on a mission to leave, but the corner of her eye caught the coffee cup clenched in her hand. 

“Oh, I forgot.” Nicole dropped the cup beside Waverly’s keyboard, then shook her own hand to rid it of the burning sensation. Waverly’s eyes dropped to the cup, her sight devouring the handwriting on the side: Waverly Earp, See You Sunday. Beside the note was seven digits scribbled in haste. 

“How did you?” Waverly asked, but Nicole only smiled.

“Hey, Haught Pocket, next time bring me one too!” Wynonna jabbered.

_Let’s be honest, second dates are a horse of a different color. First dates have a humongous pressure. You feel hopelessness. You feel nervous. Will the second date be different? Not one bit. Will you have less anxiety? Possibly. But now they know what to expect, which makes the pressure and anxiety multiply. If you have an amazing first date, but a horrible second date, you can count on being shown the door._

“Good morning, Mr. Doc Holliday,” Nicole shouted as her black boots sunk into the mud. She tugged on her baseball cap, imitating his gesture from the week prior. 

“Ms. Haught,” He responded. “You are early. I wasn’t expecting you this soon.”

“I know, Doc,” Nicole stepped over the fence and joined him in the pastures. She spun around, showing off her lightweight flannel, tight jeans, and heavy boots. “I’m here to help.”

“Help? No, ma’am.” Doc argued. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“Well, I’m here now, so there’s no arguing. Trust me, I am not afraid to get my hands dirty. Plus, we can go over your second date while we are working.”

“Are you sure?” He repeated. 

“Four hands are better than two, Doc,” She explained. “And you only have a few hours to finish your daily chores and get clean. You have a date, remember?”

“Yes, I know.”

“So, what task are we completing?”

“Well, I hope you are serious when you said you are not afraid to get dirty, because it’s time for me to muck the stalls.”

“Don’t worry,” Nicole said. “Lead the way.”

Nicole strolled through the towering pasture, the sun beaming on her shoulders and burning her pale neck. Relief flooded her as the man step into a large horse-barn; the roof was a respite from the heated rays. 

“I removed the horses from the stall this morning, and I moved the mangers to the meadow.” He snatched a pitchfork and delivered it to the other woman. “Have you ever mucked?”

“Not in a while,” Nicole answered. “But I used to stay at my grandparents' farm in the summer, so I’m hoping it’s like riding a bike.”

“Okay, so just a quick refresher.” Doc took off his hat and set it on the side of the stall. “We need to remove the large droppings from the stall and place them in the wheelbarrow. When we get a full barrel, I will dump it outside at the manure pile.”

“You got it,” Nicole said. She flipped her hat backwards, keeping her hair from her face. She went to work, shoveling through the mucky hay and latching onto the droppings. Her arms trembled from the heaviness. 

“What do you have planned for a date today?” Nicole questioned as she emptied the pitchfork into the wheelbarrow.

“I am not sure.”

“Not sure?” Nicole sputtered, appalled. “Your date is in six hours.”

“I know, ma’am.” Doc said. “I thought maybe I could take her to a shooting range, but I wanted to pass it by you first.”

“Is she averse to guns?”

“I do not think so,” Doc said as he rounded his third trip to the wheelbarrow.

“Then that’s a perfect idea,” The redhead concurred. “It’s important to share your own hobbies too. The first date you focused on something she enjoyed, one of her hobbies. Now the second date is when you need to show a few of your cards. But yes, make her feel special during your second date. Try to decide if you are compatible together.”

“I am worried I will not know what to discuss. I am worried I will make a fool of myself.”

“You won’t,” Nicole declared. “Remember, she said yes to a second date. That means she wants to see you again. She wants to be with you. With the conversation, is there a topic you didn’t learn that you want to discuss?”

“Yeah,” He said as he finished his stall and moved towards Nicole’s. “I want to know her past and her family.”

“That’s always a good one,” Nicole told him. “But read her actions and facial expressions. That could be a depressing topic, depending on her history.”

“Do you think I should leave that alone, then?”

“No,” Nicole responded as she shoved the remaining muck into the wheelbarrow. “It’s a good conversation and by the second date you can read her body language. You’ve got this cowboy.”

“Thanks, Haught.”

“Remember to be present with her. Listen and hang on to every word she says. If she answers a question, respond with a followup question. If she mentions a favorite family vacation, ask her to explain, ask her for more information. And always listen to her. And, when you focus on her, your worries and anxieties disappear.”

“I won’t forget it,” Doc announced. “I want her to know I care.”

“Exactly,” The redhead agreed. “Now onto the more important topic; what are you going to wear?”


	6. The Sixth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shh I am a day late... Did anyone notice?

The Sixth Chapter

“This is just like our practice.” Nicole reminded Jeremy, using the top of his desk as a seat. “Robin won’t answer if you call from your work phone. He won’t recognize the number, and who answers the phone for numbers they don’t recognize?”

“Can’t I write a script?” Jeremy fixated on the string hanging from his khakis.

“You’ve got this, Jeremy,” The redhead informed with confidence. “We wrote bullet points. You don’t want to sound too rehearsed.”

“I do.”

“It’s just short and simple. You are just leaving a message.”

“Okay, okay,” Jeremy took a deep breath, then another, and another. Nicole pressed the speaker button then dialed the number with ease; Jeremy would never take the initiative. The phone rang once, twice, and then three times. The redhead flashed two thumbs-up.

“Hello?” An assertive, yet confused voice echoed from the speaker.

“He’s on the phone!” Jeremy whispered to Nicole. He shot from his seat and paced around the room.

“Hello, yes, Robin Jett?” Nicole spoke into the microphone.

“Yes,” Robin replied.

“I have Jeremy Chetri here,” She stated. “Do you have a moment to talk?”

“Absolutely.”

“Great, give me a moment,” Nicole stabbed the mute button, and dashed away from the desk. She hissed at the other man. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t,” He shook his head as if he was having a seizure. “Just tell him I’m at lunch.”

“So, we called him to tell him you were eating lunch?”

“Yes?” Before he could continue, Nicole was by the phone.

“Hey Robin,” He responded, trying to sound the exact opposite of what he was feeling; calm. Nicole shoved him into the desk chair. “It’s Jeremy, Jeremy Chetri.”

“Jeremy,” Robin replied. “I know who you are. How are you?”

“Good, good,” He fiddled with the pen in his hand, as Nicole gestured to continue. “I’m calling because I won’t be able to make our appointment this Wednesday.”

“Are you standing me up, Jer?” Robin joked.

“No, no, no,” Sweat dripped down his forehead and puddled onto the spotless desk. The pen he fiddled with exploded all over the desk and his pants. “I just, I can’t make it.”

“Okay, no problem. When can you?”

“When can I do it?” He relayed the question. He glanced at Nicole, his mind blanking on what he needed to utter next. The redhead raised her hand, teetering it in the air. “I’m not sure. I’m packed with a new client next week. Early mornings, late hours.”

“Okay…” Robin sounded disappointed.

“But don’t worry, we will make your app happen.” He tried to sound confident, but his voice cracked as if he was a prepubescent boy. Nicole pointed at the last bullet point on the now ink soaked notebook. “The Community Fund Spring Gala!”

“What?” Robin asked, confused.

“I have two tickets to the Community Fund Spring Gala tonight,” Jeremy explained. “It’s a black-tie event, and the proceeds go to the Community Scholarship Fund. Are you interested in going? It will give you an chance to network with others who share the same passion for education.”

“Tonight?” Robin asked, and the two could hear him fiddle with her phone. “I’m free tonight at 6. Does that work for you?”

“Sounds great! I’ll meet you there!”

“How’s the business going?” Xavier asked as he broke the billiard balls. No luck. “You are busy.”

“It’s keeping me busy,” Nicole said. “But never too busy to help my best bud with his love life.”

“My love life?” He chuckled as Nicole turned to make another shot. “What about yours?”

Nicole took a shot, missing the remaining balls on the table. She ruffled her own hair. “I have a non-date tomorrow morning.”

“A non-date? What the heck is that?”

“There’s this girl.”

“Oh, a girl,” Dolls nudged her with his own hip. “Describe her for me.”

“She’s gorgeous, Dolls,” She leaned against the high-top table. “And there’s something with her. I just... I can’t get enough of her, but I just met her a few days ago.”

“Where did you meet?”

“The coffee shop; she took my breath away. There was something special with her. There was something tugging me to her; I have never felt this way.”

“Uh… Nicole, that’s called attraction.” He lined up for his third shot in a row; he was on fire! “Where are you bringing her for the non-date?”

“Um…” The redhead stuttered.

“Come on, Nic,” He laughed. “I know you have it planned out! From her first breath to your last.”

“My plan is to take her to the Museum of History in the city,” Nicole replied, her voice filled with nerves. “There’s something with her, Dolls. I am so afraid I will ruin it by doing something stupid.”

“That will not happen,” He articulated. “Come on, you’re THE Hot Doctor.”

“I am not feeling very confident or hot right now.”

“You’re kidding!” Dolls strode from the pool table and took a swig of his beer. “You haven’t been this nervous since college.”

“She makes me this way, Dolls!” Nicole declared. “I don’t know what it is about her!”

_Tonight, before the date, picture an image of an iceberg. No, not because you’re cool, or confident, or the reason the Titanic sunk. An iceberg, because an iceberg’s mass is 90% below the surface. Just like you. Only 10% your true self is above the surface; the remaining 90% hides within the depths of the ocean._

Jeremy leaned against the brick wall. He adjusted his bow tie for the fifteenth time. With each car that pulled into the valet, he stood up tall, disappointment flooding his features with each passing guest. At last, a large black SUV parked at the end of the line, and Jeremy’s eyes fell on Robin, as he stepped out of the car, oozing confidence and energy.

“Hey, Robin,” Jeremy stepped toward the car with an exaggerated swagger to his step.

“This is wonderful, Jeremy!” Robin complimented. “I have been unable to score tickets to this.”

“Yeah,” Jeremy agreed. “There’s a very selected guest list. I snatched tickets from one of my colleagues.”

“Well, please thank them for me. This should be an awesome time!”

“And a great place to get feedback for your app,” Jeremy announced, his fingertips fidgeting with the cufflink on his jacket.

As an usher led them inside the main ballroom, voices erupted from around the venue. Placing a hand on his back, Jeremy leaned in closer to Robin.

“Let me get you a drink,” He said into his ear, his voice fighting for dominance with the loud music and audience.

“Can I have a Manhattan?” Robin shouted into the loud void. He shook his head in frustration, realizing that Jeremy had the better strategy. Jeremy gave Robin two thumbs up, then meandered through the large crowd.

Fifteen minutes later, Jeremy navigated through the crowd while balancing two cocktail drinks in his hands. It didn’t take him long to find Robin in the swarm; his eyes connected with his as if they were two opposite poles of the same magnet. A smile crossed his lips as the younger man networking with the attendees.

“Hey Jeremy,” Robin called, a smile lighting up his own face. Jeremy held the drink for the other man, their fingers brushing against each other as the glass transferred ownership. “I want you to meet President Leary, from St. John’s College, and her husband, Noel.”

Jeremy shook each one of their hands with a strong, but not overpowering grip. “Nice to beat you both.”

“We were discussing diversity in college,” President Leary informed. “What are your thoughts on the president’s new legislation requiring each college to accept at least of 25% minority students?”

“Uh…” Jeremy paused, nervousness and anxiety percolating within. He took a large gulp of his liquor as Robin’s fingers guided against his yet again. Jeremy glanced to the other man for confidence, his gentle gaze causing an earthquake of confidence to shake his soul. He could handle their questioning. “I think it’s a great thing! It’s a win-win for both the students on campus and the diverse students being selected.”

“And why do you say that, Jeremy?”

He took another swig of his drink. “Diversity, seeing people different from yourself, with different thoughts and mindsets, encourages personal growth within the students. And giving minorities the opportunity to go to college helps to create a healthy and successful society. The melting pot of culture and backgrounds helps with critical thinking and communication.”

“Wow,” Robin replied. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. Now excuse us, I have been eyeing the silent auction since we got here.”

“You better not bid on the Football Tickets,” Noel replied with a chuckle. “Those are mine. I will keep my eyes on you.”

Jeremy followed a foot behind Robin, giving the man his distance to choose if he wanted to turn and chat or act independent. Right as they arrived at the Chinese raffle, Robin froze, causing Jeremy to slam into him.

“Sorry, sorry,” He apologized, but the other man was no longer listening.

“I love this song!” Robin’s hand gestured in excitement. “Want to dance?”

“Dance?” The younger man asked. His voice squealed and a small sweat droplet cascaded across his back. “Yeah, yeah, sure.”

Tugging on Jeremy’s sleeve, the taller man dragged him through the throng of partygoers.

As they stepped onto the reflective dance floor, Robin’s arms shot into the air and his hips swayed to the beat. The flashing neon lights brightened his deep and irresistible green eyes. When he felt they had enough space, his feet stilled as he turned toward the other man.

Beside him, Jeremy’s worries bubbled to the surface. He took one step to the left, snapped, and then another step to the right, trying to keep his movement calm, the same way Nicole showed earlier in the day. He kept his elbows tight to his body, as if they were protecting him. The beat continued, and as the music filled them, their feet fell into perfect sync. Jeremy looked away from his feet as he became more confident in his skills. Instead of disdain, Robin met his wide, growing grin, as if he was a spring flower thriving after an April shower. Warmth floated through Jeremy, and it wasn’t from the crowded, sweaty space. His heartbeat flourished, pulsing to the beat of the music. Feeling comfortable in his own skin, his movements became wider and less fluid, matching his real personality. He spun on the tips of his black dress shoes, waving his arms as though he was partying at a wild college concert. When he returned to face Robin, his cheeks reddened in embarrassment. The redhead lectured him about his style just hours earlier. But instead of anger and frustration, Robin’s face split into a sly smile which extended to his eyes and deep into his soul.  
  
“Everyone is looking at us,” Jeremy acknowledged. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring attention to you.”

He chuckled, then twirled on his own toes, copying Jeremy’s exact movement. “I haven’t noticed.”

Jeremy grinned as the guests disintegrated like an apple core decaying on the rainforest floor. He released his anxieties; instead, he focused on his two left feet and the man dancing a foot and a half away. As the song ended, he continued to groove. One song became two, then three, then four. He followed Robin’s movement, swaying to the right, then to the left in unison with the taller man. His cheeks hurt from the smile plastered on his face, but there was nothing that could crack his resolve. Beside the couple, a roaming photographer snapped a picture of the two, then offered them a copy for a small donation to the scholarship foundation.


	7. The Seventh Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright back to Wednesdays! And get ready for a full chapter of Wayhaught! Nothing but the best for my amazing readers!
> 
> Thanks for reading and leaving kudos and comments!

The Seventh Chapter.

“Waverly fucking Earp,” Wynonna shouted through the cell phone at her sister. The younger girl picked up her phone. 

“Wynonna frickin’ Earp!” Waverly’s eyes cringed from her sister’s high-pitched voice. “What are you doing awake?”

“What am I doing awake?” Wynonna replied. Waverly flipped onto her other side, stretching across the frigid, empty bed. “Why aren’t you awake? Haught is taking you out in an hour!.”

“Oh yeah, that,” Waverly rolled her eyes. “I forgot.”

She gasped in feigned surprise. “How could you forget? Haught is well, hot.”

“Not at the top of my priority list,” She ran a frustrated hand through her hair. 

“That’s not why I called.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“I’m assuming you haven’t looked at the news this morning.”

“No…” Waverly said. “If it wasn’t for your call, I would still be asleep!”

“Well, they spotted your favorite celebrity last night.”

“Oh sheesh, where?” She asked. “Did he look upset after his breakup?”

“I don’t think so,” Wynonna chuckled. “I think he was on a date.”

“No way,” Waverly switched to speakerphone and tapped on her phone’s screen. 

“And it was with a guy!” She reported. “Did you have any idea, Wave?”

“I mean maybe,” Waverly said as she clicked on the link to the article. “But that’s so not interesting.”

“Maybe to you, not to the world,” Wynonna reminded her. 

“God, I can’t believe I missed this.”

“And you know Lucado will say it’s because you are so cynical!”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Waverly responded as she skimmed through another article. “Not that I was covering the party she couldn’t make.”

“I know, I know. Can never make her happy…” Wynonna conceded. “Now, your date is in less than an hour.”

“Gr… I know,” Waverly growled. “I better get ready.”

“Yeah, you better! Call me when you get out! I want to hear about it!” 

Nicole drummed her fingertips on the edge of the table, nervous energy bursting within her like an overly inflated balloon. She spent so much time waiting; whether it be for other women, for clients, for professors, but nothing ever made her this anxious as Waverly Earp. And Waverly, Waverly Earp was late. 

Was she still coming? Was she ditching her? Nicole knew better than to be interested in someone who didn’t believe in love. Now she sat alone in a packed restaurant, peering at every customer who walked in the door.

She checked her smart watch, hoping to see a text message from Waverly. Nothing. But then again, how could she text her if she didn’t even have her cell number?

“Looks like you’re deep in thought, Ms. Haught!” A confident but gentle voice erupted her thoughts and made her jump. 

“Waverly!” Nicole bellowed, surprised the young woman showed. She crammed her cell phone in her pocket and sat straight in the chair. Great first impression, Nicole. 

“Were you worried I was standing you up, Ms. Haught?” Waverly teased as she squeezed into the chair. 

“No,” Nicole’s voice squeaked as she tried to fight against the truth. 

“Well here I am,” Waverly beamed a smile that melted the other woman’s frozen heart. “Have confidence.”

“Confidence? Me? Confidence is my middle name.” Nicole argued, but it made her look weak. What was wrong with her?

“Do they have any vegetarian entrees on the menu?” Waverly quizzed as her eyes devoured the front page of the menu.

“You’re a vegetarian?” Nicole asked, hoping to reinvigorate her swagger. She flipped the menu and pointed to the section at the top right. “There’s a vegetarian section right here. What made you become a vegetarian?”  
“I mean besides the fact that it’s a healthier alternative, I’m a firm believer in animal rights. I think animals have rights to the earth just as much as we do, and we shouldn’t be taking away those rights and killing them to fill our stomachs.”

“That’s inspiring, Waves,” Nicole folded her hands atop the menu, listening as each word fell from the other woman’s mouth. “I’ve always wanted to try, but it’s just so hard when I’m on the go.”

“It’s a change, but it’s so worth it,” She encouraged. “I feel so much better.”

With breakfast ordered, conversation flowed with ease between the two. With each passing minute, Nicole swatted at her nerves, focusing instead on strategies she devised for her clients; the woman in front of her deserved her focus and attention. 

“Okay, so I want to play a quick little get to know you game.” Nicole tried. She slipped her palm in her pocket and lay her cell phone on the table. 

“A game?” Waverly chuckled. “Are you a professional first dater?” 

“You are giving me too much credit,” Nicole joked. She unlocked her phone and clicked on the picture application. “Select the last picture on your camera roll and why it’s important or why you took the picture. If it’s not a first date proper picture, you can skip it and show me another. I mean, unless you want.” The redhead winked. 

With no hesitation, Nicole passed her phone over to the other woman. Waverly’s eyes fell onto a picture of a fluffy, orange cat scrunched into the sink and staring toward the spout, as if waiting for a drink.

“This is my cat, Calamity Jane this morning. She sits in the sink every morning and wait for me to turn on the faucet. You would think I don’t fill her water bowl.”

“That’s so cute!” The youngest Earp gushed. “Most cats hate the water!”

“Not CJ! She’s a strange kitty with her own personality.” Nicole explained. “Now what’s you about you?”

“Ahh, I promise I am not a creep.” Waverly slid her phone across the table. “Wynonna shared this picture with me this morning.”

Holding out her phone, she pointed with her index finger to one of the two men in the photo. “That’s Robin. I wrote an article about his girlfriend cheating on him a month before they split.”

“You’re a psychic too?” The redhead smiled at her own joke.

“Yeah, I wish,” She said. “I wish I knew he was going to the spring gala last night so I could have broke this story. My boss is threatening me because I don’t write enough positive stories.”

“You’re kidding me!” 

“I wish I was! So, if you know of any hot, love struck celebrities, let me know.”

Nicole scratched the back of her neck in punishment for the lie that was milliseconds away from spilling out of her mouth. “I sure will!”

“The food was so good! I have to remember this place!” Waverly proclaimed. Walking side by side, the two bustled through the front entrance, the early afternoon air whipping around them.

“It’s one of my favorite breakfast spots.” Nicole announced. “And now onto the next part of the date.”

“Wait, there’s more?” 

“Did you think I was just taking you to breakfast?” Nicole quizzed. “And since you are in such a hurry, you can just follow me in your own car.”

“Sounds like a plan. But, can I have your number, in case I lose you?”

“You didn’t take it from the coffee cup?” Nicole cracked. “You could never lose me, Waves. But I would love to give you my number.”

Nicole grabbed the cell phone from Waverly’s grip, their fingertips brushing yet again. Her lips curled into a slight smile. The redhead tapped her number into Waverly’s contacts and then passed it back to her. 

“Okay, so just follow me. I have that blue SUV over there,” Nicole said.

“And my jeep is right here,” Waverly put her hand on the red vehicle.

“Won’t be hard to miss! Okay, I will see you there!”

Nicole scurried to her vehicle, not wanting to waste another moment. She hopped into the car, slammed the door, and threw her keys into the ignition. She turned the key. The car’s ignition clicked, but the engine did not start. She twisted the key again; nothing.

“Shit…” Nicole swore as the red jeep parked alongside her vehicle. The redhead stepped from the car and into the parking lot as Waverly opened her own passenger’s side window.

“Something wrong?”

“My car won’t start.”

“You’re kidding.” The shorter girl replied.

“Would I be able to hitch a ride with you?”

“No problem.” Waverly unlocked the door, and the redhead hopped into the passenger's seat.

“Was this your plan the whole time?” Waverly teased. “I mean, your car can’t be that old. Was this part of your plan?”

“I mean, I wish I was that ingenious,” Nicole said. “But I’m not. Plus, I have much, much better ideas to get closer to you.” 

The redhead winked, a sinister smile dancing across her lips. 

“The Museum of History,” Waverly’s facial features remained stoic. “Wouldn’t most people consider that a horrible first date?”

“Ah…” Nicole still adorned her confident, cocky smirk. “But you are not most people, you are Waverly Earp.”

“You got me there, Haught,” Waverly admitted. “I’ve lived here my entire life and I have never been.”

“I took a wild guess.” The redhead replied. “Most people haven’t.”

“Uh, Nicole…” Waverly hesitated as they moved toward the entrance. “The museum doesn’t open for another few hours.”

“I know, it's perfect right?” Nicole glanced through the glass door, waving to the man at the security desk. “My wonderful friend Randy Nedley set us up on a private tour.”

“You’re kidding!” Waverly trumpeted. “We get the whole museum to ourselves?”

“Just us and about five security guards,” The older man croaked, ushering the two women through the door. He held his hand out to Waverly.

“Thanks for doing this for us,” The shorter woman gushed.

“I owe Haught my life,” He answered. “Ya’ll ready to go, or do you need a minute?”

Nicole glanced at the other woman, waiting for her response. The brunette nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, lets go.”

“What you are walking through right now is what we refer to as Flag Hall. The flag right above your head is the flag that Francis Scott Key. What most people don’t know is that the Star-Spangled Banner he penned it as a poem, not a song, and he titled The Defense of Fort McHenry. Though he wrote it in 1814, it didn’t become the national anthem until 1931. Would you like to start upstairs or downstairs?”

Nicole looked over to Waverly and motioned for her to decide. “Let’s start downstairs.”

“Perfect! We are going back in time to the early, early American History.” The group traveled down the thick, translucent glass stairs, an American Flag still hanging above their heads. “The first feature we will enter is a brand recent one. We just opened it a week ago. Before that, it was an exhibit on the American Revolution for years, but now, we dipped even further into our history and are displaying the history of the Salem Witch Trials.”

“Wow,” Waverly said as she stepped inside the dim room, staring at traditional wear for 16th century Massachusetts. Nicole stood at her side, taking in the display. 

“I’m sure you know the major history on the Salem Witch trials, in which citizens of the Massachusetts Bay Colony accused men and women accused of witchcraft and later killed. Most people believe the executioners burned those convicted at the stake, but that is a false premonition. Out of the 19 people sentenced, 18 of them were women hung to death. The 19th was a male, and they crushed him with stones. Officials burnt no one to death.”

Nedley stood at the doorway, giving the couple a chance to take in the artifacts. He answered every question they asked and even shared a smile and a thumbs up with the redhead. When they complete lap of the room, they met up with the older man. 

“Next up, we are traveling through time and into the Wickie Wickie Wild West.” The man announced. Nicole glared at him, as if he was embarrassing me. “What a waste of Will Smith’s talent.” He grumbled. 

“The Wild West was the period from 1865 to 1895. Cowboys, Indians, gunslingers, outlaws, and pioneers ruled the nation. One of the biggest and most known duels of the Wild West was the shootout at the O.K. Corral. In honesty, the battle only included eight distinct people and was over in 30 seconds. And, to make matters worse, it didn’t even take place at the O.K. Corral, instead it took place on the street behind the corral.”

Waverly nodded absentmindedly as she trailed around the exhibit. She glanced over to Nicole, but the woman was several feet away, giving her space to admire the exhibit. The redhead nodded her head toward the older man, a growing grin plastered on her face. The youngest Earp felt a strong magnetic tug toward a glass display on the back wall. As she stepped closer, she stood right in front of a life size photo of Wyatt Earp. After a quick glance, she stepped to the side, where the gun of Wyatt Earp stood on display. 

“How can you know where you are going if you don’t know where you have been?”

“That is deep for a first date” Waverly tried to smile, but she could not tear her attention away from the gun. She reached forward, her fingertips tracing the gun’s reflection.

“That was my great, great, great grandfather’s gun.” Waverly whispered over to Nicole, tears filling her eyes. “Did you know this was here?”

“Yeah,” Nicole replied, a look of accomplishment written across her face. “Have you ever seen it?”

“No, I haven’t,” The youngest Earp replied, her bottom lip quivering. She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer as they flew down her cheeks, like a cowboy shooting whiskey at the saloon. 

“I’m sorry. I have to go.” She choked, sprinting through the door of the exhibit.

Nicole looked over to Nedley, her face painted with worry. “That went so different in my head.”

“Me too, kid, me too.”


	8. The Eighth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you've been wondering all week why Waverly ran out =). Well wonder no more, because here is the next chapter!
> 
> Sorry if it seems like we are bouncing from scene to scene. This was actually two chapters that I combined into one.
> 
> Of course, thanks for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos!

The Eighth Chapter.

“So, after he accused Bulshar Clootie’s two sons of murder and shot them dead during a gunfight, Bulshar placed a curse upon Wyatt Earp and his entire family as revenge. After, he fell ill with chronic cystitis.”

“You’re kidding?” Nicole leaned against the cement stair, her eyes never leaving the younger woman. “I will not lie, I googled Earp, and that’s how I found peacemaker, but nothing ever appeared about a curse.”

“You wouldn’t.” Waverly continued. “Even today, Wyatt Earp is an American Hero. They will always know him as the famous gunslinger who fought alongside his best friend at the O.K. Corral.”

“Do you believe in the curse?”

“The realist in me doesn’t, no.” Waverly said. “But every Earp heir since has lived a hard, disastrous life. My alcoholic father abused my mother, and she ran away and left us with him. When I was just six years old, he died of alcoholic poisoning. And that’s just my immediate family.”

“But you can’t,” Nicole rubbed her hand against the smaller woman’s back as tears welled up in her eyes. “That could just be a coincidence. And it doesn’t mean the curse, if one exists, will affect you.”

“Anyway,” Waverly wiped a tiny tear that had escaped the prison of her pupil. “It’s just a horrible family story that I can’t seem to to forget.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole said, her hand continuing to leave a trail of fire against the other woman’s back. 

“Don’t apologize,” The shorter woman replied as she took one final glance at the museum. “This was-”

“A Trainwreck.”

“No?”

“A nightmare?” Nicole tried again. “Let me call an Uber so I can get a ride home.”

“What?”

“I don’t have a car, remember?”

“Uh, yeah I do.” Waverly stood up and held her hand out to Nicole. “And I’m giving you a ride. Do you need me to take you to get your car towed? Or do I get to see Casa de Nicole?”

“Are you sure? I can grab a Lyft.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Now, get your ass off the ground.”

“Wow, feisty,” Nicole’s phone pounded against her body in her pocket. She reached inside as her eyes devouring the bright notification. “Would you be able to drop me off at the hospital? My best friend’s sister is going into labor.”

“Poor Nicole,” Wynonna bellowed as she shoved a French fry into her gaping mouth. “She tried so hard to impress you.”

“I know,” Waverly agreed. “And she made me feel special, you know? She made me feel like I mattered.”

“Well you deserve to, baby girl.” Wynonna reached across the table and laid her hand on top of her sisters. “And you got a hilarious story out of it. I know Haught isn’t a celebrity, but publish a story about your date. That would be a success! The many failures of Nicole Haught.”

“Not going to happen,” Waverly stabbed at several leafy greens and dropped them into her mouth. “The date was fun. She even brought me somewhere she thought I would enjoy! Yes, everything went wrong, but she tried so hard! And she truly was adorable.”

“You cannot be thinking about seeing her again?”

“I mean yeah, she screwed up at every aspect of the date.”

“But…”

“I liked her, and she was smart, and cute, and hilarious. And she cared.”

“Quiet, baby girl, or else people might think you have a crush.”

“No…” Waverly whined. “I mean she really tanked.”

“But you liked that?”

“Not just that,” She found a fascinating piece of spinach in her salad. “I liked everything about her.”

Nicole paced through the maternity ward hallways, holding her hands over her head in fright. Whenever she got closer to the room, Eliza’s screams pierced her ears, and she couldn’t get away fast enough. On one of the waiting room chairs lay her box of lollipops, decorated in blue with “It’s a Boy” written across them. Thank god technology had gotten more full proof with determining the gender.

She took a seat beside the box and clutched onto her phone, fidgeting in her seat. How long would this labor take? Would it be minutes or hours? She was excited to become an aunt, even if it was by namesake only Together, the group of three were a family; they were a bunch of orphans conjoined in high school.

“Waverly?” She read the contact aloud. Within seconds, she unlocked her phone and read the message in her mind: _Most people say that texting an hour after a date is desperate and needy. Well, guess what? I’m not most people. I had a magnificent time on our non-date and I can’t wait to see you again. Thanks for a fun time. Shoot me a text when the little guy is born!_

“Nicole!” Dolls called as he stepped outside of the room, adorned in hospital scrubs. “What are you doing out here?”

“You know, I’ve seen lots of vaginas throughout the years,” Nicole told the entire hospital. “But that one might scar my soul.”

A smile cracked through the taller man’s exhausted face. “That’s my sisters. How do you think I feel?”

“No, I guess not.”

“Good, now get your ass in there,” He commanded. “She’s been asking about your date.”

“She’s pushing a head out of her vagina, and she’s worried about my date?” Nicole stood from the seat, leaving the box alone in the waiting room. 

Dolls smacked her back, hard. “If you say vagina one more time!”

Nicole checked her watch for the fifth time; her client was late, half an hour late. She was giving him ten more minutes before walking out the door. Her head pounded and her ears rang; giving birth was exhausting, and she wasn’t even the one doing it! But the baby, he was adorable.

“Is that for me?” A childish man adorned in an open dress shirt and a stained white t-shirt pointed to the glass of wine at the table. Before he could receive an answer, he brought the glass to his lips and downed the entirety in one gulp.

“That was disgusting,” He coughed. Nicole couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Who did this guy think he was?

“Champ Hardy,” He took a large swig of water. “You may have heard of me. I’m a rodeo state champion.”

Nicole gripped the small water glass in front of her. “Sorry, can’t say that I have.”

“Wow, I can’t believe I’m here with you!” Champ bellowed. “You’re the Hot Doc, the date doctor!”

“Can I get you something to drink?” The waiter asked.

“Well, I mean if this one is paying,” Champ pointed toward the redhead. “I’ll have a beer, thanks.”

Nicole sighed. She already had a splitting headache. “Tell me about her.”

“So here I am right, picking out pajamas for my mother-”

Nicole chuckled; what a lie! “You mean you were buying lingerie for another woman?”

“Yes,” Champ smirked as if he was proud. “You can’t help where you meet someone.”

“Are you done with lingerie time?”

“I think so,” He replied, causing sirens to sing throughout Nicole’s pounding head. “But anyway, the girl I met, the one I was talking about, she’s gorgeous, sarcastic, and funny. Not to mention she could ride me, if you know what I mean.”

Nicole fiddled with the silverware in front of her, trying hard to calm her compounding frustration. Women were not objects!

Champ took another large sip of his water. “I don’t know what it is about her, you know. I can’t get her out of my mind. And I don’t think I will until I pound her.”

“What?”

“You know, bang. Fu-”

“No, I know what you said, I just can’t believe you said it.” Nicole’s face was the color of her hair. “You don’t think you get it, do you? I don’t set you up for a hookup. I help my clients make a good first impression with their crushes by giving them an opportunity they might not have had without my help. Hit it and quit it is not my thing.”

“Look, asshole,” Champ punched his fist against the table. “I need professional help-”

“Well, that’s for damn sure.” Nicole slid her chair away from the table. “I’m glad you can admit it. I’ve heard that’s the hardest part.”

Champ hopped from his seat, his body shaking with anger. “I don’t think you understand who I am. People wince, cry, and beg, but they will do what I ask.”

“So, is that like a metaphor?”

“Well,” Champ walked around the table, intent on walking out. His shoulder slammed against Nicole, practically knocking her onto the ground. “I’m more of a literal guy.”

“Okay, got it,” Nicole grabbed Champ’s arm and shoved him on top of the table. She pinned him against the white tablecloth using minimal strength. “Do you know what this is? This is me telling you I will literally break your dick off if you ever touch me again.”

Nicole released him from her hold. As he stood, she tapped on his cheek. “Got it, cupcake?”

“What the hell is this?” Nicole asked as she smashed the tabloid on Jeremy’s desk early Monday morning.

“I guess there were a few photographers there,” Jeremy shrugged his shoulders, ignoring Nicole’s frustration. “We were just dancing.”

Nicole opened the magazine to the prime headline. “Does this look like dancing to you?”

Jeremy turned away from his computer and glanced at the photos. “I was just being myself.”

“Well, do not do that ever again.” Nicole commanded. “That isn’t you anymore, Jeremy.”

“It was just one dance,” He replied.

“That’s all we get, Jeremy.” She sat on the client chairs and shuffled herself closer to him. “We get one dance, one look, one kiss. We only get one shot to make them see us, to give us a chance. There is only one millisecond between living happily ever after and or Robin telling you not let the door hit you while you exit.”

Jeremy’s face paled in anxiety.

“What’s wrong?” Nicole asked.

“Do you expect me to kiss him?”

“I mean, don’t you want to kiss him?”

“I would love to…” Jeremy fiddled with his thumbs. “But it’s Robin. He’s not a random guy on the street.”

“So, do you kiss guys on the street often?”

Jeremy cracked a smile. “No”

“Not to pressure you but… Eighty percent of people think the first kiss gives them everything they need to know about a relationship.”

“No,” He shifted back in his seat. “Not Robin. Not with me.”

“You believe that?” She asked. “He’s thought about it. He’s might even be thinking about it right now.”

“You think so?” 

“Without a doubt,” The redhead answered with confidence. “He will not act on it though, he will wait for you.”

“Me?” Jeremy’s jaw fell. “Why me?”

“You asked him out. You took control of this relationship.” Nicole replied, as if it was the first page in the Dating for Dummies Handbook.

“If I don’t make a move…”

“Your relationship will never move forward. Is that what you want?”

“No…” Jeremy sighed. “I don’t know if I can kiss him.”

Nicole reached forward and slammed the laptop closed. “Okay, lets go through this. What are you worried about? Are you a sloppy kisser?”

“What?” He held his hands up in offense. “No, I mean, at least I don’t think so.”

“Okay, so that’s a step in the right direction.”

“I’m just so awkward!” Jeremy bolted from his seat and paced in front of his desk. Nicole swiveled in her own chair to look at him. 

“You’re not alone, you know. Forty percent of the world would consider themselves bad kissers. Since you work better when you have a blueprint, let’s devise a plan for your first kiss.”

“I don’t know.”

“Jeremy, sit You need not have an asthma attack.”

“Okay, fine.” Jeremy spit as he stumbled into the chair. 

“First kisses occur at the end of a date.”

“The end of the date? Great, now I will think about kissing him the entire date!”

“No, I want you to do the exact opposite during your date. I do not want you to think about kissing him until your date is coming to a close. I forbid you to think about the kiss until the last ten minutes of the date. Whether that is when you are walking to get ice cream or dropping him off at his house. That’s when I give you permission to think about his lips. If your focus falters for a second present, he might not even want that kiss.”

“Okay…” Jeremy wiped his sweaty hands on his dark wash jeans. “Don’t overthink the kiss. What’s next?”

“Fiddling.” Nicole announced. “If he’s fiddling with his keys, a napkin, or even the bottom of his shirt, he wants a kiss. It is a telltale sign.”

“I fiddle with my fingers throughout the day, but I’m not looking for a kiss with my coworkers.”

“While at work, you fiddle because you are nervous or under-stimulated.”

“I want him to fiddle, not me.”

“Exactly.” Nicole said. “And you cannot rush the kiss; you need to show Robin that you aren’t like most of his other partners. The secret formula for the perfect kiss is for the initiator, that’s you, to go 90% of the way toward his lips and hold.”

Jeremy glanced over at his notebook, wondering if he would get harassed for taking notes. “For how long?”

“Whatever amount of time it takes for him to come the other 10%.”

“Okay, math, I love math,” Jeremy agreed. “I come 90%, he comes 10%. No more, no less.”

“No open mouth either, Jeremy,” Nicole reminded. “You do not want to look overeager.”

“Okay, 90-10, and no open mouth. I’m ready.”

“By tomorrow night, Robin might have his last first kiss.”

“Waverly Earp,” The older woman paraded into the room and shoved the competitor’s magazine on her desk. “What the hell is this?”

Waverly glanced at the paper, though she knew what her boss had flung onto her desk. “He looks cute, in a sheepdog of way.”

“Where were you Saturday night? How could you miss this story?”

“Well, Lucado,” Waverly peered at her sister, who was raging for a fight first thing Monday morning. “In case you don’t remember, I was covering a party you couldn’t attend.”

“That’s before I knew Robin would attend the Gala. Don’t you have sources, Earp?”

“Look, I asked around, and my source said he thought he was Robin’s bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard?” Lucado pointed to the picture. “He looks like a chihuahua. He couldn’t guard anyone.”

“I can’t be at every party, at every event hoping Robin will be there.”

“Did you know Robin was attending the gala? Did you purposely not show up because it was a love story?”

“I was covering your party, Lucado!” Waverly pounded her fist against the desk.

“I thought this was negativity was just a sign of depression, but I had faith you could get over it yourself.” The blonde lectured. “But now, it’s affecting your work, and our profit. If the competition gets the story before us one more time, you will find yourself at the unemployment line.”

“Whatever, Lucado,” Waverly spun around on her chair, no longer giving the other woman her attention. 

“And,” She stood at the doorframe before exiting. “They issued the tickets to a woman by the name of Nicole Haught. You find her, you might not miss the next headline.”

Wynonna followed the other woman’s shadow, her eyes hardening in anger as she disappeared. She snaked into the bottom drawer of her desk and drew out a half empty bottle of whiskey. “What the hell is her problem?”

Without waiting for a reply, the eldest Earp poured two shot glasses, the whiskey dribbling on the papers beside her keyboard. Waverly reached over, grabbed the liquid, and downed it in an instant.

“What the hell is your problem baby girl?” She took the now empty glass from her and poured yet another. “Did you see a ghost? Let me get my camera!”

“Nicole Haught, name ring a bell?”

“Wasn’t that the name of the girl you are dating?”

“Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.”

“Why would she be giving tickets to Robin? Was your date a setup?”

“No, I hope not.” Waverly said. “I will call her.”

“Why?” Wynonna asked, but Waverly’s fast fingers dialed the number. She fiddled with her pen between her fingertips as she waited for the redhead to answer.

“Hey Nicole, it’s Waverly. I just wanted to say thank you for an unforgettable morning yesterday. If you aren’t busy Wednesday night, I will be at Shorty’s.”

Waverly looked to see that Wynonna was flapping her arms, trying to get her sister's attention. 

“Oh yeah, my sister will be there too. Hope to see you there!” Waverly hung up the phone.

“Is it okay that I’m crashing your date?”

“It’s not a date.”

“It sounded like a date.”

“I wanted it to sound like a date.”

“Do you think she will show?”

“Absolutely.”


	9. The Nineth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this chapter brings you good health, even in quarantine! And I really hope this spices up your life (for the 11 minutes it is going to take to read it!)
> 
> A little bit of housekeeping. Last chapter Waverly made a date with Nicole for that night. I've actually changed that to Wednesday (it's now been updated in the prior chapter. I needed Eliza to be out of the hospital. You will see why below)
> 
> Thanks for reading and leaving comments and kudos!

The Nineth Chapter

“Get up, you lazy ass!” Nicole shot through the house and bolted on Xavier’s bed. “How could you be sleeping? It’s dinnertime.”

“I’ve had a baby crying in my fucking ear for hours on end, I’m sleeping.”

“Eliza’s downstairs and she looks bright eyed and bushy tailed.” Nicole swung a pillow in his face. “Were you the one to give birth?”

“Ha, ha, ha,” Dolls said, sitting in the bed and scratching the tired from his eyes. “I swear she is more energized now that the baby is born. I don’t even know how I am hanging on.”

“How long has it been since you saw daylight?”

Xavier gritted his teeth. “It’s only been two days!”

“Two days? You haven’t been outside in the past two days?” Nicole quizzed in disgrace. “Get your ass up and dressed. We have a quasi-date in an hour.”

“A date? You can’t be serious, Haught?” Dolls stood up beside his bed and yawned. “I can’t even keep my eyes open, how do you expect me to survive a date!”

“You got this, Dolls!”

“Hey Nicole,” Waverly waved over to the tall redhead as she stepped inside the bar.

“It worried me, I thought maybe you mis-dialed my number.” Nicole slid onto the bar stool at the high-top table. 

“I was looking for punishment.” Waverly said. “Or maybe I just wanted to pay you back for everything you did to me?”

“I hope not.” Nicole said. “Dolls recognized someone he knew outside the bar. But I couldn’t wait to see you, so I left him in the dust. Can I grab you something to drink?”

“I’m set,” Waverly said. “But get yourself whiskey. My sister thinks only those who can hold their alcohol are good enough for the Earp’s.”

“Whiskey, got it. I’ll grab her a round too.”

“She will love you!” Waverly exclaimed. “The only way to my sister’s heart is through her liver!”

Nicole waved to Shorty as she galloped across the bar to the counter. She fidgeted with the cardboard coasters between her fingertips as she waited for Shorty to pour the drinks.

“What are you drinking?” Dolls slid on the barstool beside Nicole.

“Waverly’s sister likes whiskey, and I need to impress her.”

“Impress her? What happened to the Haught Charm?”

“Not sure if that applies to straight girls,” Nicole muttered as Shorty slid the cocktail glasses toward her. She passed over her card, motioning to keep her tab open.

“Meet you back at the table.” She took a long sip of her drink as she headed back to the table, hoping the alcohol content would take the edge off of her nerves.

“Hey ladies,” Nicole flashed a dimpled smile as she sat across from Waverly. She nudged the drink across the table to the older woman.

Wynonna gulped the whiskey, her eyes lightening in delight. “Top Shelf? You know the way to a girl’s heart!”

Nicole shrugged her shoulders and forced herself to keep her head held high, instead of lowering it in embarrassment. She turned and waved to her friend. “And this is Xavier Dolls.”

“No,” Wynonna pounded her fist against the table.

“Excuse me?” The redhead sputtered.

“Wynonna, be nice.”

“No,” Wynonna spit in agitation. “He hit on me at Target when he had a girlfriend.”

“A girlfriend?” Nicole replied, at the same time Waverly shouted her response, “The nipple pad man?”

“Wait, what?” She asked, peering over to Dolls. For a strong and confident man, he looked more nervous than she had ever seen. “Nipple pad man? What did you do, Dolls?”

“Well first,” He took a large drink of his beer. “I am single.”

“He is extremely single.” Nicole responded.

“Yeah, tell me another one.” Wynonna said, downing more of her drink. “You were just buying lactation nipple pads for yourself?”

Nicole smacked Xavier in the back of his head. “You were flirting with her while buying nipple pads?”

Dolls shrugged. “You taught me everything I know. The opportunity presented itself and-”

“Did I teach you to flirt while buying nipple pads?” Nicole argued as she spun away from him. “Sorry for this asshole. And I did not teach him that.”

“Okay, but he still has baby mama drama. That’s obvious.”

“Oh god,” Dolls shuttered. “I need something stronger than beer for this conversation.”

“You said your sister was having a baby,” Waverly was trying to piece together the puzzle. “So is Dolls your brother?”

“Yes,” Nicole said as she took another generous sip. “He’s my foster brother. And so isn’t Eliza, my sister who just had the baby.”

“She’s been living with me since her asshole husband cheated on her while she was eight months pregnant.” Dolls continued. “I was in Target shopping in the baby section for her.”

“He went overboard with the baby shopping.” Nicole admitted.

“I wanted to make sure she had everything she needed. Can we please change the subject? I’m supposed to be using tonight to get away from the crying and loud noises.”

“Yes,” Nicole said. “Wynonna, how long have you been in the magazine business?”

“We call them tabloids,” Wynonna did not hold back. “I’ve been at it since right after high school. It doesn’t take degrees to drum up wild and crazy articles. And it’s simple and pays the bills. Waverly desires to me be more, an actual author even. She wants to write actual books!”

“Really?” Nicole asked as anger and frustration burst across Waverly’s face.

“Wynonna…” Waverly cringed. 

“Now Nicole,” Wynonna took her sisters signal to change the subject. “What does a life coach do?”

“In short, I coach people through their lives.” Nicole answered. “I get together with my clients and we iron out their goals. We create a road map of how they can work toward success. Then I check in with them throughout the entire process.”

“Does that pay well?” Wynonna asked. 

“Wynonna…” Waverly hit her sister with her hand. 

“What?” Wynonna questioned, looking away from her sister’s glaring pupils.

“It pays the bills,” Nicole answered, not ashamed or put off by the question. “I think I do well for myself.”

“Here you go, folks.” Shorty’s dominate southern voice startled Nicole as he dropped more glasses onto the table.

“More drinks?” Nicole glanced at her half full drink, then to the other’s empties. She downed the rest and passed the empty glass to the bartender. “Thanks Shorty!”

“Hey Wave,” Wynonna spoke with a mouth full of cheesy nachos. “I forgot to ask you earlier, how was the Gala last weekend? Did you meet anyone of interest?”

Waverly rolled her eyes in frustration. “I did not.”

“No?” Cheese fell onto her shirt; without hesitation, she grabbed another chip to scoop up the mess. “That is hard to believe.”

“Wynonna…” Waverly chided. “Why are you being so weird?”

“Come on Waves, we’re related! You’re odd, I’m odd.” Wynonna turned away from her sister, “Haught, what are your intentions with my sister?”

Waverly kicked her sister in the shin. “I just remembered! I saw Robin from high school. And I think he was with your friend Jeremy, Nic.”

Dolls downed the remaining half of his beer. “I think I will grab another drink.”

“My friend who?” Nicole asked, her face reddening as the alcohol flowed through her veins.

“Jeremy Chetri?” Waverly echoed.

“You know Jeremy and Robin?” Wynonna faked surprise. “How do you know them?”

“No, sorry, I can’t say that I know Robin,” She responded.

“So, Jeremy, then?”

“I mean how well do you know your website developer?” Nicole asked rhetorically as her stomach sky dived within her. “I gave him the tickets because he worked odd hours when my website crashed.”

Nicole reached forward and tried to grab her whiskey, but her hand missed the glass and it tipped.

“Woah there, Haughtshot,” Wynonna cried, bouncing from the table to save the near empty glass. “You’re spilling whiskey! That’s money right there.”

“No, no, no,” Nicole blubbered as her vision blurred. “I know what you are thinking. You think I am getting nervous and entering the flight or fight stage because I’m trying to impress you, as Waverly’s sister, and Waverly, too. And dealing with my relationship issues… Not to mention my commitment issues… Then you come in and ask me all these awkward questions about my job…”

“Take a drink, Nicole,” Dolls placed a glass in her hands. 

Nicole took a large gulp and then shoved the glass away. “Ew… Dolls, what the hell is this?”

“Water.” He drank his own beer. “I think you need it.”

“No, Haught,” Wynonna said. “I think you're drunk.”

“No, no, no,” Nicole slipped off the chair and tried to stand straight to prove her soberness. “I’m okay. More than okay. Who gets drunk on a second date? Wait, is this even a second date? I don’t even know!.”

“Babe, babe,” Waverly surged from her seat and wrapped an arm around Nicole’s waist, holding her swaying form from falling. “Let’s go for a quick walk, and then I can take you home?”

“I’m fine!” Nicole said. “I am better than fine, I am great actually! When’s the next round coming?”

She reached for her cup yet again and missed for the second time. Dolls snatched it seconds before it shattered on the ground.

“I’m fine!” Nicole argued as Waverly lead her out of the bar. “I don’t want to leave.”

“Babe, let’s go. Fresh air will feel good.”

Nicole’s loopy smile reminded her of a spring flower growing until it burst open in bloom. A light grew inside her eyes and spread to every part of her. An unexpected warmth rushed through Waverly, and she could not help the smile that mirrored Nicole’s.  
“What is so funny?” Waverly’s asked. Nicole’s smile caused cheerfulness to blossom inside her. 

Frigid air smacked the redhead, but the whiskey still thrived within her. Blood rose to her already red cheeks as the realization sprung in her mind. “You called me babe.”

“Do you think that’s funny?”

“Nope,” Nicole stumbled on the curb, causing the Waverly’s grasp around her waist to tighten. “I love it. It sounds so cute coming from your lips. And it’s even sweeter since you are talking about me.” 

“Even drunk as a skunk you are charming and adorable.”

Nicole shrugged her shoulders. “I try. It’s hard work sometimes. I just want everyone to see me as someone who is confident, strong, and brave, you know? But deep inside, I am a scared tiny mouse.”

“You don’t have to act brave around me,” Waverly replied, pulling the redhead into her side. “I like you for you, Nicole, even the scared little child inside of you. As long as you don’t lie to me…”

“Lies!” Nicole screamed without realizing the volume of her voice. “Lies are the ultimate relationship killer. Unless they are only little small lies, to make her notice you, to make her love you, then it’s okay.”

“Did you have to lie to get me to notice you?”

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to,” The redhead admitted. “I ended up making the biggest fool of myself, even though I tried so hard to impress you.”

“My house is about a block away,” Waverly said, snuggling even closer to Nicole’s heat. “Are you okay going there?”

“Getting invited into the woman’s house just two dates in?” A shocked look flashed across Nicole’s face. “Damn Waves, I don’t even kiss on the second date!”

“Hey,” Waverly shoved the other woman with her hip, but did not even think to remove her hand from around the redhead’s waist. “I meant to sleep until you sober up!”

“I’m not drunk!”

“Okay Nicole,” Waverly laughed. “I bet I could ask you any question and you would give me an honest answer.”

“Nope,” Nicole shook her head, her red hair flailing across her eyes. “Not happening. I’m a safe, and I don’t even remember where I left the key. Call a locksmith if you want to enter.”

Waverly bit her lip. Was she going to do this? Was she going to abuse Nicole’s trust? “What is Jeremy doing with a millionaire app developer?”

“Taking him to a jazz concert in the city.” The redhead answered in her next breath.

“I need to call that locksmith,” The youngest Earp muttered. 

“He loves Robin, you know!” Nicole screamed, her hands waving in the air. 

“Oh, I’m sure!”

“I’m telling you; people search their entire lives to find a reason for living. To find a reason to wake up each morning. To find a reason to smile. And Jeremy, he found it.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever been in love,” Waverly admitted. “I thought I was.”

“Oh Waves, you would know if you saw it. I think you might see it right now.” Nicole spoke as her steps fell in line with Waverly’s. “But sometimes it’s hard to see the sunshine trying to poke through the clouds.”

“What about you? Have you ever been in love?”

“Yup,” Nicole tapped the brunette on the nose. “But you will never know that.” “Even drunk, you are adorable, Nicole,” Waverly admitted.

“Told you!”

“Okay, here’s my house!” Waverly paused at the door. “I hope you are not expecting anything grand.”

“Hey, it’s yours,” Nicole smirked, “So I will love it.”

“What do you think about me now?” Dolls asked as he continued to go toe to toe with Wynonna’s drink count. “Still think I’m a two-timing home wrecker cheater?”

“You took the words right out of my mouth!” Wynonna winked. “The whiskey definitely relaxed me. And it tasted even better because a sexy man is buying them for me.”

“Sexy?” Dolls’s grin multiplied. “Tell me more.”

Wynonna smacked him on the shoulder. “Oh be quiet.”

“Tell me more about yourself, since you just found out about my entire childhood and young adult history.” He made a hand gesture to Shorty, who worked behind the bar to refill their drinks. “Waverly’s your younger sister, right?”

“Yeah, how did you know?” She asked. “And don’t tell me it’s because I look old.”

“Not one bit, Wynonna.” He took the last sip of his drink. “I heard it in your voice when you two were talking earlier. There was a protectiveness to it. Like you were trying to keep her safe.”

“Yeah I guess,” Wynonna shrugged her shoulders, as her mind transported her to a tragic memory transplanted in her history.“What?” Dolls asked when the light returned to her eyes. 

“Sorry, I just,” She grabbed the next glass from Shorty with a simple nod. “She came close to dying once. I was seven, maybe? Her teddy bear fell onto the ice in the pond outside our house. She ran to get it, but the ice wasn’t strong enough to hold her weight and she fell through it. I helped her out, but she was so icy to the touch. She turned blue. I have never been more scared.”

“I’m sure.” Dolls said, taking another long swig of his drink. “That’s terrifying.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over it, you know?” Wynonna said, her eyes locking onto any surface other than the man’s pupils. “I feel like I always need to be there to protect her and keep her safe.”

“Kind of defines you, doesn’t it?” The full beer bottle clanged against the wooden high-top table, and his hand slid across the table, brushing against the other woman’s. “One moment you’re gliding along, and the next moment you’re standing in the snow watching your life fall apart.”

“What about you?”

“Nothing as dramatic.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I lost my mom at an amusement park when I was five. I didn’t find out until high school that she left me because she couldn’t handle being a teenage mom. It left a gaping scar.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Wynonna sighed as she felt the pain flashing in his eyes.

“Maybe it’s best not to play in the snow.” He said. 

“Or go to amusement parks.” She snickered.


	10. The Tenth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going a bit too smoothly...

The Tenth Chapter

“Good morning!” Waverly rushed down the stairs of her apartment, expecting to see Nicole fast asleep on the couch. Instead, she entered a dead still room. If it wasn’t for the folded blanket on the couch, she would have believed that she dreamt the entire night.

“Are you here?” She called yet again, strolling into her kitchen, desperate to find any trace of the redhead.

“You are an idiot, Waverly,” She yelled at herself. She turned on the coffee machine, busying herself in the kitchen. “A complete and total moron. Why would Nicole want someone like you when she could date any other fish in the sea? Any gorgeous, hot, sexy fish. Come on, you are better than that. When are you going to learn? You will never learn.”

The apartment door cracked open, and a chipper Nicole Haught swept through the door. She held a tray of coffee and a bag of pastry for the brunette. 

“Everything okay?” Nicole set the tray of drinks on the kitchen island. “You want me to come back later?”

“No, no,” Waverly ran a frustrated hand through her hair. “I thought you left.”

“Nope, I got us breakfast.” Nicole hopped up on the barstool. “I wanted to make cook something, but your fridge is bare.”

“Yeah, sorry. Most of the time I am busy.” Waverly’s face blushed as she took in Nicole’s state of dress; she looked ready to face on the public and while Waverly herself still adorned her unicorn pajamas. “I should go get dressed.”

“I like you the way you are.” Nicole gestured to the bar stool beside her. “Come, take a seat. You don’t want the coffee to get cold, do you?”

Waverly sighed. “Okay, I guess. As long as you don’t mind me dressed in my pajamas.”

“Like I said, you are gorgeous.” Nicole grabbed the thick paper cup and passed it to Waverly. “Pumpkin Spice Latte, with an extra dash of cinnamon, just the way you like it.”

“Hey, wait,” She took a sip of the heavenly liquid. “How did you know that?”

“I uh…”

A flash of realization struck Waverly’s face. “You were the one who bought me my drink at the coffee shop last week!” Nicole held up her hands as if waving a white flag. “You caught me.”

“And you held the door open for me!” Waverly replied, flabbergasted. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Oh gosh,” the redhead blushed. She snagged a pastry from the bag and set it on the other woman’s plate. “I am never one to admit this… But you make me nervous. I was so nervous at the coffee shop that I couldn’t work up the courage.”

“You? Hot and confident Nicole Haught? Nervous? I don’t believe it!”

“Well, believe it. I chickened out.” Nicole took a bite of the pastry, the sweet flavors making her taste buds dance. “This is delicious!”

Waverly blushed as she listened to the redhead moan in delight, her mind sailing to a much more R rated version of this breakfast. She shook her head, attempting to rid herself of those naughty thoughts. “You must be a morning person? You are probably wide awake with a smile before the alarm even goes off!”

“It’s like I always tell my clients.” Nicole took a sip of her coffee. “Begin each day with purpose.”

“Wow, that’s beautiful.”

“For a beautiful girl.” Nicole smiled. A sudden beeping emitted from her watch, and she groaned in frustration. “No, I don’t want to leave!”

“Oh god, you will have an image of me in my pajamas and wild hair all day!” 

“You look comfortable, safe, happy.”

Waverly grinned as she shot from her seat. “At least let me walk you to the door.”

Nicole followed, her arm slipping around the other woman’s waist. “I would love that”

“Shoot me a text sometime, please?”

“Oh, you can count on it.”

“Good.”

Waverly met Nicole’s gaze one last time, then her eyes flicked down to the redhead’s lips. She bit her bottom lip in nerves, and Nicole couldn’t help but lick her own. Waverly leaned in close, their noses touching, Nicole’s breath tickled against her lips as her heartbeat beat against the cage of her own skin. Waverly’s head tilted and in less than a millisecond, Nicole eliminated the space and their lips brushed together. She tugged Waverly in closer until their bodies were flush together. Breathless, Nicole pulled away as her eyes searched the youngest Earp’s hazel pools. 

Unable to stay away, Waverly crashed her lips into Nicole’s yet again. Without a moment to react, Nicole felt Waverly’s tongue press against the edge of her lips. She parted her lips as the shorter woman’s tongue delved inside her mouth. The taste of pumpkin spice and French vanilla intermingled with their billowing breaths. Waverly stood on her tiptoes, tangling her arms around the other woman’s thin, smooth neck. She arched into Nicole’s chest, moaning as their bodies flared and burned together.  
“The sky is blue, the birds are chirping, and it will be an amazing day.” Waverly spun on her heel in the middle of the city street. “Don’t you think so too, Wynonna?”

“What the fucks got your panties unwrenched?”

“What the heck has you so angry?” Waverly quizzed as they strolled side by side down the late morning street. “Did Doll’s not give your Kegel’s a good enough workout last night?”

“I think someone is following me.” Wynonna muttered. “And while I thought about kicking my stalker in the balls, but I can’t afford any more trouble with the Purgatory Sheriff’s Department.”

“Because of your last two drunken arrests at Shorty’s?” The youngest Earp held the door to the glass building open for her. “Or because the new object of your affection is a police officer.”

“First off, he’s not a police officer, he’s a sheriff’s deputy,”

Waverly held her hands up in mock offense. “Oh, ho, ho, my bad.”

“And he’s not the object of my affection. He’s just a friend.”

“A friend who you would like to-”

“Don’t you have friends like that?” Wynonna peered behind as she trudged past the front desk and to the elevator. “Do you see that man behind us? Like four nine, looks like a total and complete man child. He looks like a rodent.”

Waverly looked over her shoulder, trying not to bring more attention to them. “Yeah, I do. He looks nice enough.”

“He is the ass I saw at Victoria's Secret who claimed he was buying lingerie for his mother.” Wynonna pressed the elevator button as the man pretended to read the paper. 

“That is the lingerie guy?” Waverly gasped. “He was not buying lingerie for his mother!”

“And he’s been following me this morning! And I’m sure I saw him at Shorty’s last night after you two left.”

“Are you sure it’s not just the whiskey talking?” Waverly’s eyes flicked between the man and the elevator lights.

“Positive.” Wynonna said.

“Don’t you think you should tell your boyfriend?” 

“Nah,” Wynonna said. “I don’t want him to think I can’t take care of myself.”

“Meaning you don’t want him to see your criminal record.” Waverly whispered. As the elevator dinged, and the doors opened, the women shuffled inside, desperate to be away from the man. But he followed them. The youngest Earp assessed the situation as goosebumps lined her arms. 

“Good morning, ladies.” The boyish man said as he blocked the two women from the floor directory. 

“Seven please,” Wynonna commanded.

“Wynonna!” 

“No worries, sexy lady,” Champ said as he took a step toward Wynonna. “I like them feisty.”

“Dude, what the hell is your problem?”

“I see what I want, and I don’t want to wait.”

“Excuse me, buddy?” Wynonna’s eyes rolled as she felt a man’s rough hands around her neck. Champ pulled her towards him, her body flush against his. 

“Wynonna!” Waverly called as she glanced around the airtight elevator. She looked toward her sister, sensing both the fear and anger in her eyes. Her sister gave her a wink, and within a second she had squished Champ’s balls against the side of the elevator. As he screamed and hunched over in pain, Waverly shoved him away from the elevator buttons and slammed his head into the metal wall. 

Wynonna swiped her phone from her pocket and snapped photo after photo of him, blood snaking down his forehead. “Say cheese, bitch.”

“I just wanted to fuck you,” He called, his eyes watering with tears. “You looked like an excellent lay.”

“Well next time, don’t corner a woman in an elevator, asshole.” She called. “No means no!”

“Why are you taking pictures? What are you going to do?” He cried. “Are you going to turn me into the police?”

“Yes,” Waverly answered as her sister spoke over her, “No.”

“What do you mean no?”

“Hey, you ladies work for the magazine, right?” He tried again, licking the blood that had dripped down to his lips. “I have a perfect article for you.”

“Jail, Wynonna,” Waverly chided. 

Wynonna ignored her sister. “What’s the story, asshole? And it better be good.”

“Have you ever heard of the Hot Doc?” His eyes lit in excitement, but his hands twitched in anger.

“Urban myth.”

“I met her.”

“Bull shit.” Waverly shouted.

“A woman, eh?” Wynonna elbowed her sister. “Might be your type.”

“Wynonna…”

“Look, she meets with men and women to teach them how to trick the people they like to have sex with them.”

“No,” Waverly spit. “You are lying.”

“It’s as true as my state rodeo championship.” Champ said. “She taught me everything I know.”

“She told you to do this?” Waverly’s face paled. Why would a woman train anyone assault tactics?

“Yes,” Champ said. “She helped me with this plan. She’s the actual devil, not me.”

“You have a name, Chump?” Wynonna squatted down to her knees, looking into his tearful eyes. 

“No,” He said. Wynonna moved toward the elevator directory. “I have her business card.”

Champ reached into his pocket and grabbed the small black business card. Wynonna grabbed it, her eyes devouring the almost blank card.

“Is this her number?”

“Yes,” Champ rose to his feet in agony. “You going to let me go now? She’s the monster.”

“No,” Waverly said as Wynonna pressed the button to open the door. 

“But we will give you a ten second head start.” The eldest said. Champ dashed through the elevator door, refusing to look behind.

“Wynonna,” Waverly chided. “Why did you do that?” 

“We have his picture, Waves,” Wynonna pressed the elevator button for their floor. “The police will catch him in a matter of minutes. In the meantime, we need to get the actual story.”

The first date is for getting comfortable and establishing attraction. The second date is to decide if the date’s personality matches your own. But is there real chemistry? Bring on the third date!  
“Third date,” Nicole said as she smacked the mustached man on his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Should I worry I haven’t, she hasn’t, we haven’t-”

“Kissed yet?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Doc said as he grabbed a brush and started brushing his horses. 

“Not at all,” Nicole said. “Slow and steady. I hate to break it to you, but you are average. Dare I say it, normal even.”

“Me? Normal?”

Nicole reached forward and snatched the horse brush from the cowboy “Most men trying to impress a lady wouldn’t have their first kiss yet. You’re doing perfect. Where are you taking her?” 

“I figured we could just go out to eat.” Doc ruffled his greasy hair. 

“Do you have any reservations?”

“No,” Doc said. “I wanted to go with the flow. I’m an easy-going guy.”

“Girls like guys with a plan.” Nicole continued stroking the horse’s mane. “Is there any specific restaurant you think she would like?”

“I am not sure,” Doc reached into the bucket and grabbed a large carrot for the animal. “I want to ask her.”

“Have you been on a Food Crawl?”

“No,” He stroked the horse’s nose.

“A food crawl is like a pub crawl,” Nicole said. “You chose one different restaurant for to go eat an appetizer, cocktail, entrée, dessert, and nightcap.”

“Wow, that’s loads of food,” He joked.

“Yeah,” Nicole chuckled. “But it gives you a chance to try a bunch of foods from all kinds of restaurants, and, since it will be a marvellous night, you can walk from place to place under the starry sky and have a delightful conversation.” 

“And the kiss?” 

“The kiss will come, or it won’t,” She said. “Don’t force it. But don’t waste the opportunity either. She wants it, Doc. Just look for the signs. If she’s licking her lips, she’s thinking about it. If you are walking her home and she’s jingling her keys, she’s waiting, waiting for you to make a move.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Then we prepare for date number four!” Nicole clapped her hand on his shoulder. “You got this cowboy.”


	11. The Eleventh Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I really been posting this for 11 weeks! Holy beep! Well we are almost to the top of the rollercoaster guys, so hang on tight and look out below!

“Nothing… No matches,” Wynonna complained as she flung the small business card at her sister.

“I mean what did you think?” Waverly rolled her eyes as her sister smacked her phone onto her desk. “Did you think the Hot Doc was someone you knew?”

“I mean who knows,” Wynonna said. “It’s not that big of a city. Enter it into your phone and see if the number matches.”

“Wynonna, I am trying to work.” Waverly announced, refusing to look away from her desktop.

“Please Waves,” She begged. “This is work.”

The youngest Earp sighed but picked up the card. “Fine.”

Wynonna sat at the edge of her seat as her sister copied the numbers into her phone.

“Nicole?” Waverly muttered, reading her phone’s display.

“What?” Wynonna leapt up from her seat and over to her sister’s side. “Nicole? Let me see!”

Waverly smacked her sister away. “No, you idiot, she’s calling me!”

“Hello?” Waverly attached the phone to her ear.

“Wow,” A gigantic smile flashed across Nicole’s face. “Just hearing your voice makes me smile.”

“You are making me so happy.”

Wynonna fake gagged beside her.

“Look, so I don’t think I’ve been able to show you my A game yet.”

“Oh,” Waverly spun in her chair, turning away from her sister. “What have you been bringing then?”

“My C minus game, if that,” Nicole chuckled. “I mean first I horrify you with your family’s past, which you’ve been trying to forget; and then I get sloshed and end up falling asleep on you.”

“You are an adorable sleeper,” Waverly admitted. “So, what do you have in mind?”

“Dinner, my place,” Nicole commanded. “Because going out in public just ends with me making a fool of myself.”

Waverly couldn’t help the honest laugh that fell from her lips. “Sounds good to me.”

“Tonight? I mean, if you aren’t sick of me yet.”

“Well, I’m not sick of you,” Waverly admitted. “But I have plans tonight. Can you do tomorrow?”

“Sounds great, it’s a date!” 

“You are rhyming now?”

“I can’t help it, Waves, you make me happy… How does seven sound?”

“Perfect!” Nicole said. “I’ll be counting the hours, the minutes and the seconds!”

“I mean it looks like you,” Jeremy walked into the room, his black pants fitting right, but his white dress shirt hanging low. “But it doesn’t sound like you.”

“Wait, what?” The redhead blushed.

“You sound like a lovesick puppy dog.”

“What? Me? No way!” Nicole said. “And besides, we are here to discuss your date, not mine.”

“Okay, fine,” Jeremy hesitated as he attempted to tuck his dress shirt into his pants. “It was nice to see a glimpse of you believing in love for yourself and not just for someone else.”

“Are you calling me a hypocrite?” 

“Look, forget I said that.”

“Nope,” Nicole marched over to the younger man and fixed his haphazard shirt. “You’re right. I sell love, I teach love, but I don’t believe in it myself.”

“But that,” He leaned over and grabbed his tie, “Sounds like someone who might be ready to fall in love themselves.”

“Yeah well,” Nicole smacked Jeremy’s fidgeting hand away from the tie. “I met someone, and she’s perfect. She’s been invading my mind every second of the day.”

“Oh, look at that! The love doctor falling in love.”

“I didn’t say I was in love.”

“I mean maybe not yet, but you will be.” Jeremy chuckled. The woman chucked a blazer at him.

“Okay, Jeremy, do you have a fever?”

“Why?” He shoved his arms into his jacket. 

“First date, you wanted to plan every single moment, every single word, every single movement. Second date, you have no anxiety?”

“Well, I’m feeling confident, you know?” Jeremy said. “I think he likes me. He said yes to the jazz concert for me and the genre.”

“I agree.” Nicole fidgeted with the man’s outfit, making sure it was perfect. “I can’t wait to hear what Robin thinks of you dressed this way. If I wasn’t gay, I would say you look hot.”

“The feelings mutual,” He elbowed the redhead in the stomach. “Okay, so I’m ready, Hot Doc, what are my tips and tricks for tonight?”

“Okay,” Nicole patted the couch cushion beside her. Sitting in the chair, Jeremy folded his legs, looking like a child waiting for story time instead of a professional about to go on his another date with a millionaire. “Step one, the second date is the time to impress Robin. But he said yes. He wants to spend time with you.”

Jeremy’s face broke out into an enormous smile.

“Two,” Nicole held out her fingers. “Be confident and stay confident. Do not let that confidence fall as soon as you see him. Remember, he wants to spend time with you. Repeat that in your head.”

“He wants to be with me, got it.” He shuffled in his seat as his watch buzzed with a reminder. 

“Three,” Nicole stressed. “Recall memories and things he told you from the first date. Show that you were listening to what he said. Discuss the app as his passion, but not as his job. Try to draw a line in the sand. Do not talk about work. You are going out to have fun.”

Jeremy looked at his vibrating watch. “He’s on his way.”

“Okay, deep breath, Jeremy,” Nicole said. “Last and final tip, and you might enjoy this one. Flirt. Let him know that you are interested. He agreed to spend time with you, so loosen up and be more direct. Tell him he looks good, give him a hug, touch his arm or lean in to whisper in his ear. But read his body language. If he isn’t feeling it, dial it back a notch.”

“Okay,” Jeremy got to his shaking feet, looking like a baby deer trying to stand for the first time.

“Hey,” The redhead called as she stood and faced the younger man. She clapped her hands on his shoulders. “He likes you, okay? He wants to be with you and spend time with you.”

Together, they heard a car door slam right outside the home. 

“I think he’s here,” Jeremy muttered. 

“I think he is too,” Nicole said. “Have fun.”

The doorbell rang, and Jeremy’s features paled. 

“I’ll close up and lock the door.” The redhead explained. “I don’t want him to ask you why there’s a strange woman in your home. Now go.”

“Thanks, Haught.”

“I’ve got an idea!” Wynonna shouted. She rolled her office chair to the door as if she was immobile. Before Waverly could even get another word out, her sister dashed outside the office. The youngest Earp rolled her eyes but continued to work on her article. 

“Waverly,” The eldest Earp strode back into the office with a tall man at her side. “Meet BoBo Del Ray.”

She spun in her chair but rolled her eyes at her sisters’ imagination. “Hey Robert. You are from Marketing, right? What can I do for you?”

“It’s not what you can do for him,” Wynonna announced, “But what he can do for us.”

“Wynonna, what are you doing?”

“Meet BoBo Del Ray,” She tried again. “BoBo needs help with women. He makes it to the last mile, but he can’t finish the job.”

“Wynonna,” Waverly chided. 

“So, the good friend that I am, I gave BoBo the Hot Doc’s card. He will meet with her and then report back to us. And then we will write the most amazing article and get promotions.”

“Okay, this scenario is wrong.” Waverly folded her arms. “First, since when are we writing an article? What happened to turning her into the police?”

“We will turn her in after we send the article to print. Can you imagine the publicity for us?”

“Okay,” Waverly sighed. “Let’s say I agree to let you go against my morals and we write the article. Are we going to lower ourselves to this level? Catfishing this woman?”

“I mean why should we be guilty?” She asked. “She’s teaching people how to get their perspective partners into bed!”

“Look, I will not argue with you,” Waverly said. “You will do whatever you want to do, whether I agree. So do what you want, Wynonna. I have somewhere to go. A genuine article to complete.”

Robin placed his hand on Jeremy’s forearm and whispered into his ear. “These are amazing seats.”

“Well, you’re an amazing guy,” Jeremy replied as the lights in the theatre dimmed.

“I’m so excited!” He yelled over the roaring applause. “It’s been so long since I’ve been to a jazz concert.”

The curtain in on the stage glided open, like a ballet dancer glissading across the stage. Fluorescent theatrical lights brightened, and the audience’s vivacious faces illuminated from the stage lights. The beat of the drums started slow, but the tempo increased as the band roared to life. A saxophone player’s velvety smooth tune filled the whole theatre, followed by the tooting of the trumpet. In the audience, Jeremy felt the energy and excitement vibrating off his date. He looked at the over joyous, smiling man beside him, and he couldn’t help that his own smile buzzed across his face. He leaned onto the armrest, snuggling into Robin’s side.

“Good evening, and welcome to the Purgatory Symphony Center. I am Jimmy Chandler, the conductor. Our orchestra consists of a dozen musicians who are here to fill your ears with elegant, toe tapping music.Tonight, is the first night of our brand-new concert series which takes you on a journey through the history of jazz.”“This show allows us to raise money for a charity. A part of tonight’s ticket sales will be donated to charity whose mission it is to bring unique music programs to our public schools. This nonprofit leverages a student’s talents by providing them with audiences, venues, and performance opportunities across the region.”

“Before we begin with the fun, please turn off your cell phone now. We do not allow photography and video recording in the theater. Thanks again for being a part of tonight’s performance at the center.”

Jeremy reached into his pocket and grabbed his cell phone, but with his sweaty palms, the cell phone slipped right out of his grip. The phone dropped onto the floor and bounced behind his seat.

“Shit,” Jeremy whispered to himself.

“You okay?” Robin asked. The other man jumped from his seat and kneeled on the sticky floor, his lit device illuminating the row. 

“Yeah,” He leaned forward, feeling the phone against the tips of his fingers. “Just dropped my phone.” 

He shoved the seat up, squeezing his body as far under the seat as he could. His hand grasped the device, and he yanked the obnoxiously bright light out of the void and into the audiences’ eyes.

“Sorry, sorry,” He apologized as he took his place yet again.

“You’ve got this!” Nicole massaged the other man’s tense shoulders as he pressed the call button and put the phone up to his ear.

“Hey there, Earp,” Dolls said when he heard the other woman answer the phone. “How was your night? How did the alcohol settle in your stomach?”

Nicole took a seat, watching his facial expressions turn from seriousness to a smile.

“I must remember that.” He said. “And never challenge you to a drinking contest. Though I could go Coyote Ugly on you to secure a win!”

Dolls reached forward and grabbed a coaster off the kitchen table, fiddling it between his fingers. 

“No, I wouldn’t lie to you-” He dropped the coaster on the table and smacked his hand against his forehead. Beside him, Nicole motioned for him to change the conversation. “I was wondering if you wanted to go to Shorty’s with me this weekend.”

He sat back in the chair, taking a deep breath. Nicole leaned forward, sticking her thumbs up in the air.  
“No, no, I would never cheat. That was just a joke. I am an honest person.” He wrapped his arm against his chest, as if protecting his own body. “Would you? How does Saturday at 6 sound?”

Nicole drum rolled on the table. 

“Perfect! Can you send me a message with your address?”

“No, I understand, I’ll meet you there!” He smiled. “Have an exceptional night!”

Nicole watched on the edge of her seat as she waited for him to finish the call. Once she saw his screen light up and that the call ended, she jumped up, cheering for the other man.

“We got you a date! We got you a date!” She yelled. From behind her, a small set of lungs displaced the loudest wail she had ever heard.

“You just woke up the baby! You just woke up the baby!” He danced, making fun of his friend. 

“Ahh it’s okay! I’ll get him back to sleep!” Nicole said. “He likes me more than you!”

“Look at him!” Waverly spoke to Mercedes, who was playing photographer for the night. Robin and Jeremy walked down the stairs of the center, their hands brushing against one another’s with each step. “He looks so happy!”

“How does someone like Jeremy end up on a date with someone so handsome and successful as Robin?” She asked as he zoomed in, flashing photo after photo of the couple. 

“They both look so sweet and nice!” Waverly gushed as they turned toward the parking deck. “They look so cute together.”

“Okay,” Mercedes held her arm out to the other woman. “Who are you? Are you sick? You do not sound like Waverly.”

“Ha, ha.”

“I had a brilliant time tonight, Jeremy,” Robin said as their steps slowed and fell in line. 

“I did too, Robin,” He agreed as the other man’s silver electric car came into view. His nerves increased, and his body shook. This was it! 

Robin leaned against the driver’s side of his car, grabbing his keys from his pocket and jingling them in his fingers. Jeremy’s heartbeat pounded against his ribcage, and his breath got ragged and rugged. His eyes fell to the other man’s lips, where his tongue darted out and licked them, the saliva emphasizing their shininess.

“Well, good night,” Jeremy replied, feeling the sweat puddling underneath his blazer. He turned away as the taller man hung his head in disappointment.

“Bye Jeremy,” He replied. He stuck his key into the door’s keyhole, unlocking the door.

Seven steps away from the car, Jeremy paused, fighting over his own insecurities. He took his inhaler from his pocket and held it to his mouth, trying to get his breathing under control. 

“Robin?” He called, right before the man could open the car door. 

“Yeah?”

Jeremy spiked his inhaler on the ground, as if he was a football player entering the end-zone and scoring his own touchdown. He retraced his steps, blood and excitement pumping through his brain. Stepping into Robin’s personal space, he laid one of his arms on the roof of Robin’s car, his blood boiling with the temptation to wrap his arms around his neck. Leaning forward, Nicole’s words flashed into his head; he must only go 90%. His eyes dropped to the taller mans smiling lips. His eyes fluttered closed as Robin eliminated the remaining space, and his soft lips found the shorter mans, like a hungry caterpillar to a delicious green leaf. Robin lay his hand on Jeremy’s cheek, his thumb caressing the skin and locking him in for more. 

“Wow,” Jeremy replied, blinking his eyes over and over to make sure this wasn’t a dream. “I like your lips.”

Robin couldn’t help but chuckle. He pressed his lips against the other man’s one last time. “I like yours, too.”

“Well,” Jeremy hung his head low, embarrassed. “Goodnight.”

Robin placed his fingertips underneath Jeremy’s chin and forced him to look into his green eyes. “Thanks for tonight, I mean it. Talk to you tomorrow?”

“I will be looking forward to it. Goodnight, Jeremy.”

“Goodnight Robin,” Jeremy turned away, high-fiving himself when he the other man could no longer see his expressions.

Just feet away, Waverly and Mercedes ducked behind a car as Jeremy walked passed. The youngest Earp slipped the small notepad and pen into her back pocket. 

“Did you get that?” She whispered to the redhead.


	12. The Twelfth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am excited for this one!!! 
> 
> I could have combined two chapters (this one is a bit short) but I love the cliffie ending of this one! 
> 
> Thanks as always for reading! Hope you enjoy! Can't believe how close we are to the end of this!

The Twelfth Chapter

“Good morning Waverly,” Wynonna bellowed as her sister strode from her car and into the crisp early morning air.

“What am I doing here so early, Wynonna?” She stole the coffee from her hand and took a large gulp of the burning liquid. She did not care who the drink was for, she needed the caffeine. Way too early.

“Well, we,” She gestured to herself and Robert, “Worked last night. We will meet the Hot Doc in less than ten minutes.”

“Oh, so you are catfishing the rapist.” She rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. “I told you I did not want to be involved with your master plan.”

“I need you here, Waves,” Wynonna said. “This is your article.”

“No, it’s not. It’s your idea.” She folded her arms in front of her chest. “I’m not writing the article.”

“We will see Waves,” Wynonna argued. “Please stay and take pictures for the article.”

“Fine,” Waverly sighed. “Where are you meeting her?”

“The fountain,” Robert pointed to the not-so-far off distance.

The eldest Earp glanced at her phone as if it were a ticking time bomb counting to the last second. “Five minutes, you better go.”

Wynonna rested her palm on Bobo’s back and elbowed him toward the fountain. The older man observed his surroundings as he trekked closer to the water feature. He leaned against the cement bricks as he tried to look casual and comfortable. “There are many people here, Wynonna.” Waverly admitted as she hung the professional Nikon camera around her neck. “How will you know who she is?”

“Take pictures of everyone who talks to BoBo?”

“Why do you call him that?” Waverly turned the camera on and held it up toward her face. She took pictures of her sister, fidgeting with the lighting after each one to create the perfect exposure. “His name is Robert.”

“I don’t know. Do I ever call anyone by their actual names?”

“I guess not,” The younger woman agreed. She reached forward and slapped her sisters’ hand away from her mouth. “Stop biting your nails.”

“I can’t help it, it’s a big story!” Wynonna said. “It could make or break our careers.”

“Careers?” Waverly asked. “You remember this job is the first step on this career ladder, right? I want to be a writer, not a gossip columnist.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Wynonna said. Movement below caused her to adjust her focus from her sister to her coworker. “Incoming?”

“Yeah?” Waverly said with excitement. She twisted around her sister, trying to get a better view.

“Holy sh-”

“Does that woman look like-”

“Nicole Haught,” Waverly cursed under her breath. “What is she doing here? Wynonna, it can’t be!”

“We know nothing, Waves,” Wynonna reminded her. “Maybe she is asking BoBo for directions. No reason to worry.”

“She’s shaking his hand. It’s her, she’s the Hot Doc. It makes perfect sense.” Waverly’s face burned bright red. “Life coach, my ass. Am I nothing to her? Am I just another one of her conquests?”

“Waves,” Wynonna said. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you. You mean more to her than that.”

As Robert tossed his phone to Nicole, the camera slipped from Waverly’s sweaty palms and shattered on the sidewalk. She sprinted from the scene, not daring to look at the woman who held her heart.

“Well, thank god I didn’t pay for that,” Wynonna muttered. She picked up the broken device and turned, desperate to catch her spiraling sister.

Nicole handed the phone back to the older man. “How long have you been in love with her, Robert?”

“How long have I been in love with her?” A look of confusion flashed across Robert’s face. “Two-and-a-half years.”

“Wow,” Nicole said. “Wow, you have been pining after her for that long!. Have you talked to her?”

“Yes,” He admitted. “But I’m in the friend zone.”

“Okay, well when we finish, you will be as far from that friend zone as possible.” Nicole placed her hand on Robert’s shoulder in confidence. 

“You think so?”

“I know so. Let me go home and research her. Can you send me her social media links?” 

Robert’s attention turned to his phone. While he pretended to draft an email, he snapped a picture of the woman in front of him. “You got it.”

Nicole stopped as she shook the man’s hand one last time. “Where did you get my card?”

“Jeremy Chetri.”

“He’s great, isn’t he?” The redhead said. “I’ll send you a message when I’m ready to meet you with a plan of attack. Nice to meet you, Robert.”

“Wynonna, leave me alone!” Waverly screamed from the other side of her door.

“I have a key!” The eldest Earp reminded. “If you don’t let me in, I can open the door myself!”

From inside, Wynonna could hear her sister shuffling and opening the door. 

“I just want to be alone,” Waverly said, but her sister pushed past her. “Please let me be alone.”

“No, I can’t.” She persuaded. “You can’t ignore this. We need to talk.”

“The woman I have been dating is a rapist coach,” She shrugged her shoulders. “What more is there to say?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Wynonna said. “We are basing everything on what Champ said. Do you trust that asshole?”

“Just yesterday you were ready to bring her to jail, no questions asked.”

“Well, I didn’t expect it to be Nicole Haught!” Wynonna made herself at home on her younger sister’s couch. “You like her, Waves. And I trust your judgement in people.”

“Well, after this I guess you shouldn’t.” Waverly said as she leaned against the wall of her living room.

“You know what Xavier said to me at Shorty’s?”

“I don’t care,” The youngest Earp crossed her arms against her chest. “But I know you will tell me.” 

“He said,” Wynonna closed her eyes as she tried to remember his exact wording. “Guarded people are afraid you can see right through them. So, they hide behind layers of secrecy and humor.”

“Nicole will have to hide behind something else after this article gets released.”

“I don’t know if he meant Nicole or himself,” Wynonna admitted. “But the statement applies to you too.”

“What do you want me to say, Wynonna?” Waverly stalked up the stairs and into her room, her sister hot on her heels. “Yes, I liked her. I could have fallen in love with her.”

“Will you still write the article?”

“This isn’t about me anymore, Wynonna. I need to protect others who this monster might hurt.” She slammed her closet door against the adjacent wall. “Now leave me alone, I have to get ready for my date.”

“Hey there gorgeous,” Nicole leaned in to place a kiss on Waverly’s lips, but the younger girl turned so she ended up kissing her cheek.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” She pushed through Nicole, her eyes devouring the richness of the house. It was double the size of hers, with a modern flare strewed over the first floor. “Wow! Your house is fancy!”

“Uh, thanks,” Nicole said.

“Business must be good!” Waverly bellowed.

“Well, it has its rewards.”

“I’ll bet.”

Nicole led her into the kitchen. As Waverly followed the redhead, she poked at the decorations hanging on the wall.

“Did you have a pleasant day?”

“Horrible.” Waverly admitted as she slid onto the barstool opposite to where Nicole was cooking.

“Just sit back and relax.” Nicole said. “I don’t cook often, but I wanted to impress you.”

“Trust me, you’ve done more than that.” Waverly smirked. “Do you have any wine?”

“Where are my manners!” The redhead smacked her forehead as punishment. “Can I get you some red or white wine?”

“White, please,” Waverly said. As the redhead turned away, the youngest Earp’s eyes traced her figure. Nicole stretched toward the highest cabinet for a wine glass and exposed her taunt muscles. Waverly’s tongue jetted from her mouth and ran across her bottom lip, both in hunger and anticipation for something other than food. “Focus, Waverly.”

“Did you say something?” The redhead asked as she slid two long-stemmed wine glasses on the island. She twisted the easy open wine cap and poured generous servings into the glasses.

“Nope, I was talking to myself. I’m crazy sometimes.”

“You are not crazy, Waves.” As she passed the glass to Waverly, her fingertips brushed against Waverly’s, and a smile illuminated her face.

“So,” The younger woman began, “What should we toast to?”

“I got one,” Nicole rose her glass in the air. “Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the ones you love. If you must steal, steal away from dangerous company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away. Like this one.”

“You are such an asshole.” Waverly muttered. She downed her glass of wine in one gulp.

“Excuse me?” Nicole choked on the wine. “Are you sure you are okay?”

“Peachy. Never been better.” Waverly reached forward and poured herself more liquid courage. “So, how does it work?”

“The pasta needs to cook for three more minutes,” Nicole said. “Sorry I’m late. I wanted to have dinner ready by the time you arrived. Now we can spend time together. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not the dinner,” Waverly stated. “How does your top-secret business work?”

The sweaty glass fell from Nicole’s hands and shattered onto the floor. “Sorry, I don’t do interviews.”

“Let me tell you this.” Waverly refilled her glass yet again. “Today, I found out what you do for a job, and I find it despicable. Life coach, my ass. More like life-ruiner.”

“What?” Nicole asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh,” A twisted smile flashed across the youngest woman’s face. “The front-page story going to press tonight.”

“So, is that your real motivation?” Nicole stood from the table as a sharp pain stabbed through her chest. “An article! I can’t believe I thought you had feelings for me!”

“I can say the same about you, Nicole!” Waverly kicked the chair out from underneath herself and stood tall. “Can you believe I was falling for you? How could I be so stupid! How could I be so blind while you set me up like a pig to the slaughter?”

The blood drained from Nicole’s face as a look of confusion burrowed across her brows. “Set up? What?”

“You set me up just like you set up Robin!” Waverly shouted. She grabbed her purse and headed through the redhead’s house.

“Robin? What did I do to Robin?” The taller woman brushed her sweaty palm through her hair. “Jeremy loves Robin!” 

“If that’s what you say to yourself to help you sleep at night,” Waverly bolted flung the door open and slammed it behind her with such force that the pictures littered against the wall fell to the floor.

“I guess we should have gone to a restaurant,” Nicole snatched the other woman’s glass and downed the rest of her glass.

As the minutes ticked by and the night turned into the early morning, Waverly proofread her article one last time. With baited breath, she pressed the submit button, hoping her boss would receive and publish her article in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Did you like the chapter? What do you think will happen next? Leave comments and kudos below!
> 
> As always, find me on twitter @FailedShipper91


	13. The Thirteenth Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sneaks in hoping no one notices I am a day late*
> 
> Hey hows it going? Who's ready for some fluff? (Or not, totally not). 
> 
> All I have to say is, I am not a police officer (I think that's pretty obvious right?)
> 
> Anyways! Thanks for coming back and enjoying! Thanks for leaving comments and kudos!

The Thirteenth Chapter

“Your usual today, Nicole?” The barista asked as the redhead stepped toward the cash register. Nicole nodded her head, exhaustion plaguing her eyes and her mind. 

He snatched the money from her, counting the change and shoving it into the register in a matter of seconds. “I know I’m young, but I like Jennifer Lopez. Do you think, you know, with your help, I could get there?”

“What?” Nicole snatched her receipt from the inexperienced man.

“I mean, maybe she’s a cougar or something?” 

“Jennifer Lopez?” A look of confusion bubbled onto Nicole’s face. “What do you mean?”

The teen boy slid his phone from his baggy jean pocket and handed it to Nicole. “This is you, right?”

Nicole’s eyes shuttered at every word on the page, as her life and livelihood crashed around her. _Want to Have Sex with Robin Jett? She Promises to Get You There! ___

__“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Nicole swore powerful enough for the customers in the cramped coffee shop to hear._ _

__“Sorry, Nicole, I thought you knew.” The barista apologized. She snatched her coffee, taking a long, burning sip. Without uttering another word, she rushed from the shop in a desperate to get away from the public eye._ _

__As fast as possible, Nicole arrived at her own sidewalk. She exhaled; how was it possible she made it without running into any other crazed horny teenagers? She slung toward her front porch as she dreamt of crawling back into bed and restarting her day._ _

__“Hey, you,” The familiar Latin voice filled her ear drums. Nicole turned toward the sound, pinched her eyes shut and focused on her breathing, trying to calm her own nerves._ _

__“Hey, Rosita, right?” Nicole said. “What can I do for you?”_ _

__Rosita shoved Doc in front of her. “I want you to look me in the eye and tell me he did not hire you.”_ _

__The redhead bit the inside of her lip. “Rosita, I have never seen this man in my life.”_ _

__“Okay, sorry.” Rosita slid her hand across Doc’s back. “I just read your article and now I am paranoid.”_ _

__“No problem.” Nicole stuck her key into the lock. “See you, Rosita. See you, Doc!”_ _

__Nicole slammed the door, Rosita’s voice echoing across her porch at her Freudian slip. Without a second thought, the redhead grabbed her cell phone and dashed up the stairs._ _

__“Hey Jeremy.” Nicole flung her body onto her bed, frustration and anger pumping through her veins. She needed to clean up the mess. “It’s Haught. Are you okay?”  
“Yes,” He sighed, his voice betraying his actual feelings. “No, I don’t know.”_ _

__“I’m assuming you’ve seen the article?” Nicole sat up and crossed her legs._ _

__“Yeah, I did.”_ _

__“Have you talked to Robin?” Her fingertips traced the remote lying on her sheet as she fidgeted._ _

__“No. I’ve called him three times, but I have heard nothing yet.”_ _

__Nicole passed a rough hand through her hair. “He’s busy. This will be a P.R. nightmare for him.”_ _

__“Yeah.”_ _

__“Jeremy, lie low okay?” She advised. “Don’t talk to the public or any reporters. We will get this sorted out.”_ _

__“I can’t lose him, Haught.”_ _

__“I know you can’t. This will be over soon. For the time being, I will handle damage control.”_ _

__“Okay, I trust you.” Jeremy said. “How are you?”_ _

__“I am not doing good,” Nicole admitted. “Actually, I am doing horrible.”_ _

__

__“You did it, baby girl.” Wynonna spoke, crashed through the office door where her sister lived too early for her own wellbeing._ _

__“Yeah, I did.” Waverly agreed, disappointment intertwining with her features._ _

__“And?” Wynonna flung onto her spinning office chair with a crack. “Do you accomplished?”_ _

__“No…” She admitted, but backpedaled in an instant. She needed happiness, and she was now in the fast lane. “Yes? I don’t know.”_ _

__“Do you think this was worth your relationship?”_ _

__“What relationship? Wynonna, she was using me for sex!” Waverly flung her hands in the air as if she was waiving a white flag._ _

__“I still don’t believe it.” Wynonna said. “I don’t believe she did that to you.”_ _

__“Yeah well, she was. Believe it.”_ _

__“Dolls is a cop. Do you think he knew?”_ _

__“I don’t know, and I don’t care.” Waverly turned away from her sister, focusing on her computer. “And stop trying to make me feel guilty, okay? I did the right thing.”_ _

__“Okay baby girl, I trust you. I just hope Haught doesn’t get arrested.”_ _

__“If she gets arrested, she deserves it!” Waverly argued. “And what happened to you supporting your sister? Are you Nicole’s number one fan now?”_ _

__“I thought she was the one for you.” She admitted, shrugging her shoulders. “Now, I feel like she betrayed us, but I’m on your side. I am always on your side.”_ _

__“Lucado just messaged me.” Waverly locked her computer and stood from her chair. “She wants me in her office.”_ _

__“Oh!” The eldest Earp clapped her hands in excitement. “I bet it’s for a raise!”_ _

__

__“Look, Nicole, you need to leave. She doesn’t want to see you.” Wynonna said. But Nicole didn’t care. She pushed past the other Earp and made a seat for herself on Waverly’s desk._ _

__“I’ll wait for her to tell me herself.”_ _

__“What is going on in here?” Waverly asked as she stepped back into the office._ _

__“Baby girl! I tried to get rid of her, I promise.”_ _

__“I know, Wynonna. What do you want, Nicole?”_ _

__“Jeremy Chetri is a wonderful man.” She scolded. “No, Jeremy is even better than that. He is incredible.”_ _

__“I don’t care what you say,” Waverly rolled her eyes and took a seat at her desk, trying to ignore the redhead._ _

__“Jeremy is in love with Robin, okay? He’s had a crush on him for as long as he can remember.”_ _

__“Just like Champ?”_ _

__“Wait, what? Who’s Champ?” Nicole squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember where she heard that name. “What do you have against Robin? From what I understand he’s nice, sweet, and caring.”_ _

__“I have nothing against Robin!” Waverly slammed her fist on the desk. “I want to protect the world from assholes like you.”_ _

__“You don’t even know me then!” Nicole argued. “I am nowhere near an asshole.”_ _

__“And whose fault is that?” Waverly asked. “I wanted to get to know you! I liked you. But you are a huge liar.”_ _

__“There are parts of my job that I cannot discuss, but I am not a liar.” The redhead defended. “What do you think I do?”_ _

__“You know what you did? Manipulated me because you wanted to get me into bed! Researched my name and my family and brought me to a museum because you wanted to make our date memorable. Because you wanted me to go home and fall into your bed.”_ _

__“That was smooth,” Wynonna complimented as her sister rolled her eyes in her immaturity. “My legs would have popped right open!”_ _

__“Thank you,” Nicole smiled. She then turned back to Waverly. “Do you think, maybe, people might like to plan what to say before they speak to their crush? Because they are nervous to talk to someone like you? Waverly, as a planner, it should be easy for you to understand that. Don’t you know how nervous that someone might be nervous to walk up to you and just say, I like you? How could someone as wonderful and smart as you be okay with someone walking to you in a bundle of nervous and sweat dripping off their body?”_ _

__“That’s what you did! And I liked you!” Waverly argued. “I agreed to go on a date with you! If only I knew I was being worked over by a professional sex coach.”_ _

__“Is that what you think I do? Teach people how to trick others into having sex with them?” Nicole asked as the blood burned in her face. “I thought you knew me and trusted me. Wow, was I wrong.”_ _

__“I mean why wouldn’t I?” Waverly argued. “You planned everything, from your first breath to my last!” She shouted. “You were only sincere was you were drunk as fuck or your plan was failing!”_ _

__“Which was the entire time!” Nicole yelled. “I wanted to plan everything, because you made me nervous! I am strong and confident around women, but with you, my confidence flew out the window!”_ _

__“Look,” Wynonna stood from her seat and stood in the middle of the argument. “I need to ask you to leave! I don’t want to get security to escort you out of the building.”_ _

__“Fine,” Nicole said as she slid off the desk. “But, I don’t understand what I did to make you believe I only was only interested in sex. I wanted to be with you and as much as I hate to admit it, I was falling in love with you. And I never thought would happen.”_ _

__“Nicole…” Wynonna chided yet again._ _

__“Fine!” Nicole said as she stalked to the door._ _

__“Why don’t you go hit up Pussy Willows with your buddy Champ Hardy!” Waverly screamed._ _

__“What?” Nicole pushed through Wynonna and back into the office as a light bulb flashed in her head. “Champ Hardy is your source?”_ _

__“Champ may have been my source, but you did this to yourself, Nicole.” Waverly pointed her finger hastily. “You are a scam artist. You trick people-”_ _

__“Into getting out of their own way,” Nicole finished. “So outstanding people, like Jeremy, have a fighting chance at finding and succeeding at love. This is why falling in love is so goddamn hard.”_ _

__“Come on, Nicole,” Wynonna tried to usher her out for the third time._ _

__“And Champ Hardy is a pervert!” Nicole replied as she walked toward the door. “And I refused to work with him. I kicked him in the balls when he came and told me what he wanted to do. So next time you publish an article that could ruin someone’s life, make sure you have your facts straight.”_ _

__

__“You are an asshole!” Wynonna shoved her pointer finger against his chest and shoved him against the wall._ _

__“Good morning, Wynonna.” Dolls responded, remaining calm. “You remember I am an officer, right? And they consider this assault.”_ _

__“Which makes this even worse!” She replied. “You claim you protect the citizens of this country? That does not include helping your best friend as a sex offender!”_ _

__“Wynonna, please be quiet!” He shushed, his eyes glancing into the other room. “The baby is sleeping.”_ _

__“So what?” She continued, now slapping him in the abdomen. “You think we can have a nice, calm conversation? Sipping tea at the kitchen table?”_ _

__“Well yeah,” Dolls rubbed his hand against the spot the eldest Earp abused, as if a bruise was seconds away from bruising._ _

__“Fine,” Wynonna said, stepping away. “But can we have whisky instead?”_ _

__He chuckled but nodded. Grabbing two glasses from his cabinet, he snatched the whisky from the freezer._ _

__“So, as you said, I am a police officer,” He poured two fingers of alcohol into the glass. “Do you think I would stand beside someone who did that?”_ _

__Wynonna took a large gulp as the burn from the alcoholic content flared in her nostrils. “You didn’t know that’s what she was doing?”_ _

__“No,” Dolls responded. “That wasn’t what she was doing.”_ _

__“And I’m supposed to believe you?” She tossed back another large sip of the drink, coughing as it went burned her throat. “You were buying nipple pads and flirting with another woman!”_ _

__“They were for my sister!” Dolls reminded. “Back in college, Nicole… She was a shell of who she is today. She did not know what she wanted to major in, but in her junior year, she found her love of criminology. She a geek with her nose always in the books and never left her room except to go to class… And throughout her schooling, her classmates bullied her, laughed at her, even ridiculed her. No girl ever even took a second glance at her. Until she met Shae.”_ _

__“Oh god,” The eldest Earp’s eyes bulged. “Was that her first victim?”_ _

__“No, Wynonna,” He downed his glass, shaking his head from the burn. “Shae saw Nicole for who she was. She saw her for more than someone to cheat off of, or to tutor her, or to make fun of in front of their friends. And to say Nicole fell in love with her is an understatement. She wanted to get married.”_ _

__“Why are you telling me this? Do you think I want to hear about the rapist’s love life?” She quizzed. “Do you want me to go get my sister so you can make her jealous?”_ _

__“Just listen.” He recommended, in his calm yet enduring voice. “Years after they met, Nicole came home from the police academy a few days earlier than she planned, and she walked in on Shae sleeping with another woman. It was then she decided she closed her heart off, stating she would never fall in love again. Instead, she fueled her energy into helping others with the objects of their affection with people they thought they would never have a chance alongside. She helped them with a game plan from the first call, to the first date, and to their first kiss.”_ _

__“And then sex?” She gestured to her glass, hoping for more._ _

__“Nope,” He unscrewed the whisky cap and poured more into the two glasses. “I mean yes, if someone called for tips or advice, she helped them, but her job ended after the third date. She believed three dates was what the couple needed to fall in love or go their separate ways.”_ _

__“So, you’re saying this entire thing was real?” Wynonna asked. “This had nothing to do with sex? She helped people fall in love. A genuine Dr. Phill?”_ _

__Dolls shrugged. “Yes, but she herself would say she helps her clients plan their dates and gives them a nudge in the right direction. More of a confidence doctor.”_ _

__“Oh god,” Wynonna slapped her palm against her forehead. “We’ve made this such a mess, haven’t we?”_ _

__Nicole slid onto a bar stool across from a man who felt as shitty as she did. Well, almost._ _

__“You think it's too early to drink?” She asked Jeremy. “Because I need something stronger than coffee. How are you?”_ _

__“Horrible,” He told her, fidgeting with his empty glass. “You know I always heard that there was emotional pain caused physical heartache, but I never thought it would feel this, way, you know? It’s like someone is stabbing my chest every time he crosses my mind. Part of me wishes my heart would stop beating so the pain would stop.”_ _

__“You haven’t heard from him?” She gestured toward Shorty, ordering a round of drinks for them both._ _

__“No, I haven’t.” He sighed. “I want you to fix this. Please?”_ _

__“I’ve got nothing, Jeremy.” She admitted. “For the first time since college, I don’t have a plan. Do you want to do something tonight? We should go out.”_ _

__Jeremy grabbed the glass from the bartender and downed it before it could even hit the table. “Have you ever felt this way? Because I never have. Part of me wants to lock myself in my office. I want to stop thinking about him!”_ _

__“Look, you will.” Nicole announced. “It will take time.”_ _

__Jeremy banged his hand on the table. “But I don’t want to stop this feeling. I waited my entire life to fall in love and to have my heart broken. I want to feel this miserable. If being miserable means I can keep Robin in my life and my heart-”_ _

__“No Jeremy,” She tried again. “This isn’t where it ends. You can change and adapt. Change so you never feel this heart broken and hurt again. That’s what I did.”_ _

__He slammed his glass on the table. “You just don’t get it, do you? You are selling this, your services, but you don’t believe in it yourself!”_ _

__“Look,” Nicole glared into the youthful man’s eyes. “Love is my life.”_ _

__“No, love is your job.”_ _

__“Look, do something stupid. Be my guest.” Nicole downed her drink and stood from her seat. “But I won’t be joining you.”_ _

__“This isn’t about love for you, is it?” Jeremy screamed after her. “The entire time I thought I was the coward!”_ _

__The words fell on deaf ears as Nicole sprinted from the bar and collided right into Waverly Earp. She rolled her eyes and stepped past her, but the woman chased after her._ _

__“Look, no comment,” Nicole increased her speed to lose Waverly._ _

__“No, we are off the record.” She sprinted to keep up with the older woman’s longer legs. “I came to apologize. I should have come to you first, instead of making assumptions. Wrong assumptions that ruined your career.”_ _

__“Don’t worry,” The taller woman rolled her eyes and huffed out a sigh of frustration. “We are okay.”_ _

__“I know I should have asked you!” The brunette ran a sweaty palm through her shiny hair. “You were so guarded, you know?”_ _

__Nicole turned, making eye contact with the shorter woman. “Look, you were right. I’m a player. I don’t get involved with women past a particular point. And we passed that point a week ago.”_ _

__“I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” Waverly exhaled. “I never meant to hurt you.”_ _

__Nicole shoved her hands in her pockets, hiding the tears in her eyes. “Well, you didn’t.”_ _

__

__“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Nicole screamed at the pounding door. “I don’t want an interview!”_ _

__She flung open the door, the knob breaking through the drywall. Instead of being met with a camera crew, she saw a policeman._ _

__“Nicole Haught?”_ _

__“What can I do for you, officer?”_ _

__He unclipped his handcuffs from the holster around his waist. “You are being arrested for accessary to rape.” He flung her against the wall, affixed the metal to her wrists. “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law…”_ _


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter! (I consider this the last chapter with the next being an epilogue). Hope you have been enjoying this one!
> 
> I am sad it is almost the end!

The Fourteenth Chapter

Surrounded by three musty white walls and one barred wall, Nicole felt like a caged animal. As time dragged, she gnawed at the chipped paint with her fingernails. The redhead leaned against the emptiness and drifted as she stared into the empty hallway. Sliding against the wall, she positioned herself sat against the frigid and damp cement floor as minutes turned into hours. Pain shot through her aching, ageing back. Uncomfortable, she stood yet again, this time hanging her arms through the rusty metal bars. Her ears burned as they filled with the loud, desperate pleas of other prisoners, each chanting for food, for water, and for freedom.

“Ms. Haught.” A once confident voice called, now shredded with weakness and worry.

“Mr. Jett,” Nicole stood tall, trying to look professional and calm. At least as professional as she could in the small six-foot four closet. “I am so glad you came to see me.”

“Even though you are behind bars?” Robin leaned against the hallway wall opposite of Nicole’s cell, as if he couldn’t be far enough away. 

“I mean I wish it had better scenery.” Nicole chuckled. “We need to talk about you and Jeremy.”

“There is no Jeremy and I anymore.” He crossed his arms, protecting his body, his mind, and his heart. 

Nicole smacked her hands together. “Jeremy would have sold his soul to make you happy!”

Robin looked at his feet, desperate to avoid Nicole’s eye contact. “What does that make you, the devil?”

“No,” She turned back toward the small, springy, soiled bed in the room's corner. “My job isn’t to deceive others, Mr. Jett. I create opportunities. Opportunities people such as Jeremy lack the confidence to make for themselves.”

“Like with the app?” His eyes flickered like the dwindling light at the start of the jail’s hallway.

She spun on her heel, desperate to make eye contact with him. “Would you have noticed him otherwise?”

“Yes!” He responded instantaneously.

“Really?” Nicole challenged. “You would have seen him for more than just a computer geek?”

Robin’s eyes found Nicole’s for a split second, “Eventually.”

“How did you know about me?” He bit back. “You knew my likes and dislikes, you knew everything.”

“The internet is a lovely place, Robin.” Nicole replied. “And you were easy to research.”

“Well, you did your homework.” He took another step closer to Nicole. “With the scholarship app. And telling Jeremy to dance around like a monkey, knowing that I can’t dance either. Telling him to drop his phone at the start of the jazz concert to cause a distraction so the director wouldn’t notice me. So, that was you?”

“Fuck no!” Nicole banged her head against the metal bars. “He’s such an ass! A dorky ass.”

“So that wasn’t you?”

“Hell no,” The redhead’s screams contrasted against the eerie silence. “I don’t even want my name associated with that date.”

Robin leaned against the iron jail bars. “And the frickin’ inhaler? That was adorable.”

“He did not!”

“He Gronk-spiked it right before he kissed me!” The rich man chuckled.

“Wait,” Nicole paused, the faint sound of water dripping from an old dingy pipe filled her ear. “And that worked? For a multimillionaire, that worked?”

“I thought it was adorable, in a cute, nerdy way. I loved it.” He smiled. “Then what did you do?”

“Nothing.” Nicole smirked. “I did nothing.”

“Thanks for picking me up,” The redhead walked away from the hazy prison with a plastic bag flung over her shoulder. “I hope I’m not ruining your street cred, walking out with a criminal.”

“Ruining my street cred?” Dolls laughed. “I’m sure this badge destroys all street cred that I might have. Did you meet with your lawyer?”

“Yeah, he came in early this morning,” Nicole kept her eyes locked on the road ahead, not daring to look back as if the jail could swallow her whole. “I had to give him my client list so he could get witnesses lined up, in case the defense attorney takes this to court.”

“Which I doubt will happen,” He unlocked his cop car door, and Nicole plopped into the passenger’s seat, the cushion like a cloud for her aching rear. “They couldn’t even hold you for a full 48 hours. They don’t have enough evidence. It’s hearsay.”

“Well I hope so,” The redhead fastened her seatbelt. “I can’t thank you enough for picking me up and paying my bail. How much do I owe you?”

Doll’s eyes flickered from the road to his passenger. “I didn’t pay for your bail. I thought maybe your lawyer had access to your bank account.”

“Robin, maybe?” Nicole’s smile lit up the entire cab. “He came by earlier to talk to you.”

“To talk?” He smacked on his blinker. “I figured he would be first in line to press charges.”

“Nope, we discussed Jeremy. Can you believe he chucked his inhaler right before kissing him?”

“You are kidding.” Dolls snickered. “I bet that wasn’t part of the plan!”

“Fuck no!” Nicole yelled, “Robin thought his actions were adorable!”

“I would not have guessed that.”

Nicole took a deep breath. “What about Wynonna? Have you heard from her?”

“Yeah, I did,” Dolls hesitated. “We talked yesterday. And by that I mean she threatened me for assisting you with your master sex offender plan. But…”

“But?”

“We ended up talking about you and Shae.”

Nicole’s face heated. “Please tell me you didn’t!”

Dolls shifted in the driver’s seat. “Yes, and she understood.”

“And by understood, you mean?” Nicole raised her eyebrows as if suggesting something more seductive occurred.

“No,” He laughed, “We went on a date. She told me she was going to talk to Waverly.”

“I ran into her before I got arrested yesterday.” Nicole admitted as she drummed onto the dashboard with her fingertips.

Dolls smirked as he clicked on her blinker. “Did you make up and make out?”

“I told her I’m a player who doesn’t like to be with people past a certain point.”

“Nicole!” He smacked his hand on the wheel. “You didn’t!”

“Dolls! I did!” Nicole argued. 

“You loved her! You lit up every time someone mentioned her!”

“Nicole Haught does not fall in love.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Nicole Haught fell in love.” Dolls argued. “You need to stop living in the past, Nicole, and letting your insecurities rule your life. Waverly is not Shae.”

“I never compared the two.”

“No, but you are.” He reminded. “You think every woman you ever date will cheat on you. So instead, you never open your heart to anyone. It’s like you don’t even believe in love!”

“I am the love doctor!” She yelled.

“No, you are the Date Doctor. And you want everyone else to fall in love but yourself.”

“That’s not true.” She rolled her eyes and focused on the passengers outside her window.

“If you close your eyes and imagine yourself in ten years, who do you see yourself waking up beside? Who do you see yourself kissing right before you fall asleep? Who do you want to holding you through the darkest of moments?”

Nicole crossed her arms and muttered. “Waverly”

“Exactly.” Dolls said as he turned on his blinker and sped into the redhead’s driveway.

“I’m pissed at you!” Nicole said. “This is my job, not yours!”

“But…” He started.

“But… Can you please drop me off at Waverly’s?”

“Waverly!” Nicole banged on the door so loud she did not know how it didn’t just crack. “Can you open the door! I need to talk to you!”

The redhead listened to the random shuffling inside the home. She snapped her fingers on her jeans, desperate to feed off her excess energy.

“What?” Waverly asked as she flung the door open and leaned against the door frame.

“See, I was just in jail,” The redhead began. “Actually, I’m not sure how I got out.”

“I called the Sheriff and got him to drop the false charges. And based on my allegations.” Waverly said as she leaned against the door frame. “He said he could only hold you for 48 hours as there was no evidence and nothing he could charge you with.”

“Wait, what?” She sputtered, thrown off guard. “You?”

“Yeah,” Waverly sighed. “It was the least I could do. And the tabloid is issuing an apology tomorrow for causing this trouble. And I quit.”

“You quit?” She responded, flabbergasted. “You didn’t have to do that. You needed that job-”

“I never wanted to be a tabloid writer for my entire life.” She admitted. “And now I have motivation to pursue my dream career.”

“Waverly, you didn’t-”

“Nicole,” Waverly stopped her. “I know you didn’t come to discuss my unemployment. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to stop by,” Nicole took a deep breath as her mind spun in circles. “See, this is the thing…”

“Get on with it, Nicole.”

“This is weird.” The redhead paced the small porch, trying to control her racing thoughts. “I don’t have me behind the door, you know. Well, you don’t know. For Jeremy I was standing behind the door giving him the confidence to ask out Robin. And by that I mean I was just yelling at him to close his mouth.”

“Nicole…”

“Sorry, yes, focus, Haught.” She lectured herself. “Maybe if you close the door and we rewind this conversation and start over?”

“Seriously?” Waverly wanted to smirk. Wanted to, but she didn’t. “What do you want, Nicole?”

“You,” Nicole answered, pausing her pacing for a split second. “I want you for so many reasons, none of which make any sense to me. I never expected to fall in love, you know. I couldn’t; I didn’t want to. Not after her. But you, there’s something about you, Waverly. And I know that sounds crazy. I mean, we’ve been on three dates! I mean, if you even call them dates!”

She paused, checking Waverly’s reaction, but the girl was stoic.

“I know it sounds crazy. And it is crazy.” She continued her pacing. “But deep inside, I want to be miserable. Like really miserable, because if being miserable is what it takes for me to know what it means to be happy-”

“Wait what?” Waverly’s asked with confusion etched into her face.

“What the hell is wrong with you!” Nicole chided herself. 

“Maybe it’s like you said the first time we met.” Waverly tried, her goosebumps lining her arms as she flashed back to the core memory. “We should both go our separate ways and we will do just fine.”

“But what if fine isn’t good enough!” Nicole smacked the back of her hands together as stopped pacing for the first minute since arriving. “What if I want extraordinary?”

Waverly turned away from Nicole. “There’s no such thing.”

Nicole intertwined their fingers, stopping the youngest Earp from slamming the door in her face. “I’m as scared as you, but we can’t let our fear determine us, Waverly. Our time is here and now.”

“It wasn’t our time before?” Waverly snatched her hand away from the taller woman’s as if they were on fire.

“I’m a lesbian,” Nicole chuckled. “Since when do we get anything right the first go around?”

“Well, I facts and evidence,” She argued. “I have seen what love does to people.”

“We aren’t most people,” The redhead followed the other woman as she stalked inside her house. “We are Waverly and Nicole. And together, we are extraordinary.”

“I’m fine on my own.”

“You’ll never be fine, and neither will I.” Nicole stopped in the doorway to the other woman’s kitchen. “Here I am, Waverly. Here I am telling you I’m falling, and you’re the only one that makes me feel as though I can fly.”

“So,” Waverly’s eyes locked with Nicole’s. “You like me?”

“No,” Nicole smirked, taking a step forward, then another and another. “I love you.”

“Yeah?”

Nicole planted her hands on each side of Waverly, gripping the counter as her own heart skipped a beat. “I love you. I knew it as soon as I laid eyes on you. Gosh, that sounds cliché.”

“Nicole.” Waverly called.

“Yeah?”

“Be quiet.”

Their eyes met, and for the first time, Nicole allowed Waverly to look into her soul. Their foreheads met, and Waverly couldn’t help but close her eyes. Her breath was shaking, nervous, worried, but excited. Nicole leaned down, her lips capturing Waverly’s in one fellow swoop. Their lips molded together, like two puzzle pieces coming together for the first time. The redhead wrapped her hand in Waverly’s hair, and stepped closer and closer, as if she couldn’t get enough. The shorter woman slid her fingertips through the hair at the back of the redhead’s neck, her fingers teasing and tickling her, all while pulling in for more. Nicole’s hand traced Waverly’s body, feeling every curve, each line of her perfect physique. 

“I…” The youngest Earp pulls away, taking shaky, shallow breaths. “I love you too. God, how is that even possible.”

Nicole smirked, her heart fluttering at the words falling from Waverly’s mouth. They locked eyes for seconds, maybe even minutes, as they looked deep into each other’s souls. They spoke no words, none need to be, as the two penned the story of a lifetime.

_Fine should never be enough. Not for love and not for life. Dating is like taking a leap off a cliff and hoping to god that you will just survive. Because otherwise, we just drop like a rock. To the bottom of the ocean, or deep underground, wondering the whole way down, why did I jump? But love, love is worth it. Love is the only time you feel as though you can soar. Because why stand on the ground, when taking a chance on love means you can fly._


	15. The Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have made it to the end! I can't believe its already been fifteen weeks!

The Epilogue

_One moment, you are enjoying your life, and the next, you are wondering how you ever lived without them._

Waverly squeezed Nicole’s hand as the disc jockey gave her a slight nod. The redhead glanced around the room, full of strangers, strangers, and well strangers. The only friends she had sat beside her at the table. She stood tall, buttoning and unbuttoning her tuxedo jacket. Her girlfriend grabbed her silverware and tinged it against her full champagne glass.

“Thanks Waves,” Nicole muttered. The entertainer scooted through the hordes of tables to pass a microphone to her.

“Hey everyone! I’m Nicole Haught, but I know you aren’t here for me! Guess what time it is? That’s right, it's time for me to do a speech I scribbled an hour before the ceremony. Bet you’re glad you asked me to be your best woman now, huh Jeremy?” Nicole winked at the cheerful couple.

“Some of you know me as the one who convinced Jeremy to ask Robin on a date, while some of you know me as the one who promised I could get you into bed with Robin Jett. How did that work out, Jeremy? I think I know my stuff, huh?” The redhead slipped her hand on the back of Waverly’s chair, using her girlfriend as support.

“And a few of you do not know me at all. I must admit, that’s for the best.” Nicole chuckled. “Enough about me. You’re not here to hear about my life, you’re here to celebrate with these two-lovely people.”

“I met Jeremy three years ago. The poor guy had the most pathetic crush on Robin, and he wanted my help. He _needed_ my help. And so, I did. I taught Jeremy how to become more confident and how to gain Robin’s attention. And obviously it worked, or else we wouldn’t be here.” Nicole took a step away from Waverly, walking toward the center of the room. 

“As Jeremy and I worked together, I barred Jeremy from doing things he liked best. Like dancing. Have you ever seen that man dance? Damn! He embarrassed me when he danced! And if his dancing skills, as he called them, embarrassed me, Robin would never like a man whose major dance moved involved items you could find at an Italian restaurant.” Nicole displayed one of Jeremy’s dance moves. “Do you remember tossing the pizza, Jer-bear?”

“I was so wrong.” Nicole walked back over to her seat. “Some of these embarrassing were the exact reason Robin fell in love with Jeremy. Like when Jeremy spiked his inhaler before kissing him for the first time. Robin thought that was adorable!”

“And that’s what I learned as I watched these two fall in love. There is no Judge Judy in the game of love. You lay your strengths and weakness on the table for your lover to see, and if they love you, they won’t care. Because they know you aren’t perfect, and that’s what makes them love you even more.”

Nicole set her hand on Waverly’s shoulder and raised her glass with her right hand. “They say you don’t marry the person you can live with, you marry the person you can’t live without. I’ve never found a statement to describe two people more perfectly. To Jeremy and Robin!”

_So how does it happen? Great love? Nobody knows. But it happens in the blink of an eye._

She closed the hardcover book, as if it was a precious treasure. Her fingertips traced the edge of the smooth, yet worn book. 

“Are you reading that again?” The redhead chuckled as she entered the study and spotting the other woman.

“Reading it?” Waverly smirked. “I wrote it!” 

“Wrote it?” Nicole took the book from the other woman and thumbed through the pages before placing it back on the shelf next to the youngest Earp’s other novels. “I’m sure you lived it.”

“And I was your first actual interview.” She announced.

“My only interview. And you saved my career.” The redhead locked her palms on the arm of the chair and planted a delicate kiss to Waverly’s lips. 

“After I destroyed it,” She sighed. 

“Hey, if you didn’t destroy it, you might not have that Pulitzer Prize up there,” Nicole pointed over her shoulder. “And I wouldn’t have been the world-famous Date Doctor. Did you hear they want to make it into a movie? And they want to cast Will Smith as me! Me!”

“I think I might have heard something that,” Waverly smirked.

“How was your day?” 

“Uneventful,” she wrapped her hands around the lapels of the redhead’s suit jacket. “You look sexy. Do you have somewhere to go?”

Waverly’s lips collided with Nicole’s in a hot and fiery urge. She tugged on her jacket, and the redhead fell on the small armchair on top of her. With each tender kiss and each seductive touch, Waverly’s senses flew out the window. 

“Waves,” Nicole's voice cracked as she whispered against the Waverly’s lips. The shorter woman caressing the redhead’s cheek with the tips of her soft fingers. She leaned in for a second kiss, then another, and another.

“Waverly,” Nicole tried yet again. “We have to go.”

The younger woman grunted in frustration. “Why?”

“Baby, they are waiting for us,” Nicole climbed off the other woman, settling beside her on the couch. 

“They are always waiting for us!” Waverly complained. “I knew when we got involved that I had to go with you to these weddings, but I’m thinking it’s too much. Do we have to go?”

Nicole giggled as she stood and held her hand out to the other woman. “Well, seeing as it’s our thirtieth anniversary and we are renewing our vows, it’s important we be there.”

Waverly tugged on Nicole’s arms and collided with the other woman. She wrapped her arms around the other woman’s neck, brushing her lips against hers yet again.

“Waverly Earp, are you nervous?”

“What? Me? Never?” She argued, separating from Nicole and turning away. “Okay, maybe.”

“Why?” Nicole chased after the other woman and dragged her back in her arms. “You weren’t this nervous for our wedding.”

“But no one knew me then, you know?” Waverly whined. “And now everyone will expect something great. A four-hour speech from the best-selling author.”

“Baby, no one is expecting that, okay. Our family and friends will surround you. People who know the real you. They know you as more than a best-selling author.” Nicole tucked the falling hair from Waverly’s face behind her ear. “And honestly, if you just smile and wave and I would fall in love with you even more.”

“Really? You mean that?” 

“Absolutely,” Nicole said, kissing the other woman’s forehead. “And Waves, I’ll be there holding your hand the entire time.”

“I know,” Waverly said, leaning her head against the other woman’s chest. “And that’s the best part.”

“You think you can handle being the center of attention for one night, Mrs. Haught?”

“For you? I guess!” Waverly grinned. “Nicole Haught, I love you.”

“Waverly Earp, I love you too. Always.”

_Basic principles of dating: There are none!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and leaving comments and kudos. What did you think of this story?
> 
> Let me know what you want to see next! Because I will be back before you know it!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment if you can't wait for more!
> 
> Find me on Twitter @FailedShipper91


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